


Out of Wilting Petals, Love Blooms

by wolfish_willow



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Angst, First Time, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Language, Rating: PG13, Schmoop, Violence, Wordcount: 30.000-50.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-21
Updated: 2011-06-21
Packaged: 2017-10-20 14:52:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 36,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/213945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfish_willow/pseuds/wolfish_willow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam had always dreamed of <i>more</i>, but he never imagined it would come in the form of a hot-headed amber eyed Beast, or the Beast’s enchanted castle and the slew of colorful characters who inhabit it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of Wilting Petals, Love Blooms

**Author's Note:**

> **Author’s Notes:** Beta’d by the fabulous priceless_pixie and [ivyadrena](http://ivyadrena.tumblr.com). They both did a marvelous job at cleaning this thing up and making it into something I’m really proud to post. Thanks so much, dudes! Any remaining mistakes are all my own ;)
> 
>  **Author’s Notes 2:** Okay, I started work on this fic last year. Almost exactly 1 year ago, in fact. Inspiration struck when I saw a prompt at spn_gabriel_sam’s kink meme asking for a Sam/Gabriel Beauty and the Beast with Sam as Belle and Gabriel as the Beast. I wrote 4 scenes that had nothing to do with each other in quick succession (all of which I’m happy to say found a place in the fic). I’m really proud of it, but I’m more than a little terrified about posting it for anyone to actually read.

**  
Prologue  
**

Rain fell in sheets, pounding heavily upon the barrier she’d placed over them beside the stables, protecting them while she waited for him to calm. There were still matters to discuss, the conditions he’d yet to hear, before she left him to either learn or stay forever the same.

Her eyes bored into the creature that stood before her, entirely unafraid as he raged – much like the storm, thunderous and loud and yet ultimately harmless within their bubble – at her, snarling out insult after insult, threat after threat. But he had done this to himself, with no small amount of help from her magic. Even if he'd had any power he could use against her that she could not defend herself from, her own magic would not be used to cause her any harm. The beast that stood before her, though, did not take kindly to her words as she relayed exactly this to him as he tried lashing out at her.

"Put me back, you witch! You had no right to do this to me. Put me back or I will -"

She waved her hand, effectively cutting off any further threat that might have made her react rashly. Shaking her head sadly, the woman - the witch - stepped forward and placed a delicate hand on the creature's massive shoulder; she felt the muscles slowly relax under her touch, felt how much he wished they wouldn't. But she wasn't here to grant him wishes. Her purpose had been to find out the type of man within, and he'd shown her without a doubt just what he was the first time he'd turned her away. And now he'd have to live with the consequences.

"I gave you a chance. It is of no fault of mine if you refuse to look past the appearance of things. And now, I'm afraid, you are paying the price for such judgments."

Her voice carried over the storm raging around them; the storm they remained untouched by as her magic shielded them both from the water pouring from dark clouds overhead. Finally the woman stepped back, letting her hand fall from what was once a man and now a Beast as she continued to stare at him, piercing blue eyes holding furious, amber ones with her gaze.

"I only wish to show you what kind of man you have let yourself become in a way you will understand. Now your outer appearance matches the beastly way in which you treated me. It is to teach you how to change. Because of this, know that this does not have to remain permanent; you need only let yourself grow."

Wind howled outside of the barrier around them, but the soft snap of her fingers was heard as though the world was silent around them. A rose appeared in her grasp and she held it out for the creature to see, "Keep this safe, and it will continue to grow until your twenty-first birthday. You have until the last petal falls to change. If you can learn to love another and earn their love in return before then, the spell will be broken. If not, then you will be doomed to live out the rest of your life as you are now."

A flick of her hand sent waves of glittering light pulsing over the castle; she watched with a professionally detached eye and a heavy heart. This man, this _creature_ needed to be taught this lesson, but it never failed to make her feel for those others who got caught in the middle through their associations.

"Keep the rose safe. Open yourself up to others. And remember why this has happened."

With that, she snapped her fingers and shimmered brightly before fading out of the creature's sight – though not away from the castle just yet. A quick flick of her wrist and the rose floated gently into his line of vision. She watched as he carefully took it into his claws, looking as though he would prefer to crush the flower rather than cradle it. But the Beast at least listened to her enough to keep that ever-present temper in check and she allowed herself a small, approving smile when he took it into the castle before the storm – her shield having faded with her – could cause it any devastating damage.

 **  
  
**

  
 **Part One**  


The bookshop wasn't anything spectacular. It didn't pride itself on carrying the most exotic tomes one could find, nor did it make itself stand out any more than the other shops in town. But it was Sam Winchester's favorite place to spend his free time. It was like a safe haven for Sam. Neutral ground where he could relax and let go of his worries about his brother or work. The books didn't care if Sam was single and dreaming of bigger things than the small town he and his brother lived in. The books paid no heed to Sam’s want and need for something else. Something _more_. All they cared about was that someone would read them, take in the words on display, and perhaps get some deeper meaning out of them. It also had the added benefit of being the one place he knew he'd never run into Luc. Sam was sure that the only books the man ever picked up were filled with either numbers or pictures, neither of a kind that would interest Sam much.

That bookshop was where Sam found himself on yet another ordinary day, another day of helping his brother at the house and dodging Luc and dealing with everything. But he didn't have to worry about any of that, not while here in his haven.

The books all seemed content; each in its proper place and Sam loved the order of it all. The quiet hush of the shop put him completely at ease while he glanced at the shelves around him.

The shop was filled with all the genres anyone could possibly desire, and it had enough books to choose from to keep Sam busy in any free time he ever had. Anna, the feisty redheaded owner of the bookshop – as well as the cottage attached to it – always made sure to get a hold of all the books in his favorite genres, because she knew he would keep coming back and giving her his business.

He found himself near the back of the shop, as he so often did in his time spent there, and let his fingertips glide lightly along the spines as he browsed for any new titles. Since he was young, Sam had been fascinated by the supernatural, and anything different from the norm. This fascination always had him coming back to the shop to pick up whatever books he could find on the subject.

It never failed to amaze - and slightly sadden - him that so many of the books in front of him were given darker bindings, sharp-looking fonts, anything to give onlookers a feeling of mystery, but also a small sense that there might be something dangerous lying in their pages, in their words. Sam had never understood how something being different must automatically make it bad, something to be feared or avoided. But then, he was generally considered to be a bit odd himself, so he supposed it could just be a matter of perception.

His fingers paused in their movement over an unfamiliar title and he hummed curiously to himself as he slowly slid it from its spot on the shelf. Turning it over in his hand, Sam knew he hadn't seen this book before. _Enchanting_ , read the title. Swirls of blues, purples, and greens made up the cover and Sam knew this was his next new book. Smiling, he flipped through the pages, taken in by the brief descriptions of the illustrations within.

Shutting the book, Sam held it at his side while he made his way to his other favorite area of the shop, Fantasy. His older brother, Dean, never failed to tease him whenever Sam came back with another book from those shelves, but that didn't deter him. He needed an escape when he couldn't come to town to get away from his life, and tales of magic, sword fights, and princes helped give him that. Sam knew he would never actually abandon his family, his brother to have adventures of his own; delving into these books made that fact easier to accept, if only slightly.

The spines of the books in the Fantasy section were always more colorful than anywhere else in the shop and Sam thought that was fitting. They weren't afraid to be different, they had nothing to hide and no worries, much like many of the characters within the pages. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he browsed over the shelves, thinking how he wished everyone could be like the characters in the stories laid out before him.

A soft shuffling sound came from behind him and Sam didn't have to turn to know who was standing there. "Doesn't look like you've got anything new for me."

"Nope, not in this section," Anna replied with a playful smile as she walked up, leaning sideways against the bookshelf.

Sam laughed softly as he picked out a book from the shelf in front of him. When Anna caught sight of the cover she quirked an eyebrow in question, "Now, I could be wrong, what with all the books you're always buying, but I'm pretty sure you've already got that one."

He smiled at the teasing lilt in her voice and thought, for possibly the millionth time since he met her, how grateful he was for the friend he'd made in Anna. She _got_ his love of books, understood - which was more than he could say for anyone else he knew.

Sam shrugged as they walked to the front of the shop, pulling his wallet out. "You know me, if it's not a bit battered, the book's not loved. And I _loved_ my last copy so much, I think I broke it."

A faint ding rang out in the background, and Sam's smile widened. "Muffins or cookies?" he asked, nodding his head in the direction of Anna's attached cottage.

The smile on Anna's face grew as well, eyes twinkling as she answered, "Both, and I'll give you one of each if you tell me the truth about how many times you've read this book." He nodded and they finished with his purchase before Anna walked out from behind the counter.

"Are you getting anything new soon?" Sam asked as Anna led the way to her home. She made her way over to the oven to pull out the treats, but Sam missed her answer as he got lost in his thoughts; not an unusual occurrence for him. He wondered just how many times he _had_ read his book. Keeping track wasn't important to Sam; it was all about losing himself within its pages upon each reading. The adventure, the intrigue, and the romance of it all just called to him.

The sight of Anna holding out a plate with a mix of blueberry muffins and chocolate chip cookies brought Sam out of his wonderings and he realized just how far away from the conversation he'd been. When he lifted his hand to take one, Anna slapped it lightly with a _tsk_.

"Nuh uh. We had a deal, remember?" Anna smirked lightly at Sam's sheepish look and quirked an eyebrow, "Well? Just how many times have you read that book?"

He chuckled lightly, "More than I could count. Anyone else would call me crazy, but the nearest estimation I can think of? I'd say at _least_ fifty times." Sam finished with a wink, snatching one of the cookies from the plate before Anna could stop him.

The two sat in companionable silence for several minutes, each enjoying a cookie and their company.

"So how's that wife of yours? Where is she, anyway?" Normally, the three of them would sit and enjoy the baked goods together, so it was a little strange to have her missing.

"Jo's doing great! Just got a new job, so she's working right now," Anna answered, a soft smile gracing her face.

"Must be different, getting used to having different schedules now."

Anna shrugged and her smile grew wider. "Yeah, but this is good for her. Good for us. And she's actually not gone too long, you just happened to show up earlier than usual."

Sam nodded and pushed away from the counter. "That I did. But it's probably about time I head home." He smiled and took the blueberry muffin she held out for him, glad to have something to munch on during his walk. "I'll drop by again next week?"

"You better," she answered, waving him out as he left her cottage and made his way down the dirt road in the direction of his home.

***

The town, much like the bookshop, was nothing spectacular. There was a tavern, where most of the village's inhabitants could be found in the evenings, a salon, a barbershop, and a bakery all not too far from the bookshop. Further in the town were the hardware/supply store and local market, where almost anything a person could need was in reach. The bookshop was the closest to Sam's home, yet another reason he enjoyed visiting; he didn't have to deal with the daily hubbub of town life.

A light breeze had Sam's chestnut hair fluttering around his face as he walked along the dirt path. He opened his newly acquired book, determined to love this copy until it was just as worn as the one in his room. Seeing the familiar words, the familiar characters, lifted his mood even more than the slight sugar rush he had from the cookies he'd devoured with Anna.

Minutes passed as he read in silence before he turned into a slightly denser area of trees, his shortcut home - as much as Sam liked to have as much time as possible to read, he knew he should get home to Dean before long. Another breeze blew around him, reminding him of the blueberry muffin he held in his hand as its aroma wafted over him.

At the first bite of muffin, Sam didn't bother stifling his moan of pleasure. As long as he'd known her, Anna was always a whiz in the kitchen, especially with baking and Sam had wondered on more than one occasion why she didn't have a bakery of her own rather than a bookshop. Not that he would complain; their friendship was another part of what made his trips into town worth it.

"I bet that's not the only thing that can make you moan, Sam."

Sam started at the voice, nearly dropping both his books and his half a muffin before he caught himself. He closed his eyes for a moment, wishing for that voice to have been nothing more than his imagination. Turning, Sam opened his eyes and his hazel gaze met a pair of cold blue eyes settled on him. A smirk formed on the man's face as Sam's eyes took in the rest of him; neatly trimmed stubble covering a firm jaw, dirty blond hair looking as neat as ever. Sam stifled a sigh as the man came closer to him and opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off before he could do more than take a breath.

"Would you do that for me, Sam?" Sam shook his head and tried to say something, anything as he took a step back with each one forward the other man took. "Moan for me?" A blush worked its way over Sam's face and he opened his mouth again, but was unable to get a word in as Luc continued talking and stepping into his space. "I could do that and more, you know. I can give you everything you've ever wanted." Sam's back collided with one of the larger trees and Luc stepped further into his space, effectively caging his lean frame between the two seemingly immovable forces.

Luc's smirk widened as he caught sight of the books in Sam's arms and before Sam could react the other man had grabbed them, eyes skimming over the covers. Sam finally found an opportunity to speak as the blue eyed man remained occupied, and kept his voice steady, "Luc, may I have my books, please?"

His words were ignored as Luc spoke once more, gaze lifting from the books to Sam's face. "You know, I could be plenty _enchanting_ enough for," a soft chuckle escaped the man's lips, "and _to_ you, if you'd just say _yes_ to me, Sam."

Sam rolled his eyes at the line, but shuddered when Luc's hand brushed over his arm, "I don't think so, Luc."

Unfortunately, Luc seemed to think Sam's shudder was from lust, rather than his dislike of getting caught in this situation again, and disregarded Sam's words as he leaned into his space further, straight for his lips. The taller man was still trapped against the tree, but turned his head to the side before Luc's lips could meet his own. Somehow the other man took this as an invitation to mouth at his neck.

That was the last straw for Sam, who dropped the half muffin he'd been holding to grip Luc's arms and push the man out of his space. "I'd like my books please," he said firmly, struggling to keep his voice steady, "I really need to be heading home." Luc held the books out to Sam, but when the taller man moved to take them, Luc didn't release his grip immediately.

"I'm not in the mood for games today, Luc. Let go." Sam kept eye contact with Luc, who continued to smirk at him in a way the man must have thought was charming.

"I could give you anything you want, Sam. Just promise me you'll think on it."

Sam barely resisted rolling his eyes at the offer, but nodded and did nothing to mask his sarcasm as he spoke, "Yeah. I'll think about it."

The other man finally released his books, having either ignored or not recognized his sarcasm, and brushed Sam's bangs from his eyes before turning and walking away.

Sam huffed out a relieved breath and shook his hair back into his face before pushing up from the tree, leaving the discarded muffin behind. It looked like it was about time to find a new route home.

***

Sam let himself into the house quietly. Dean wouldn't have been able to hear much from his work room, but there was always a chance and Sam didn't want to have to deal with an injured brother on top of trying to calm down over his encounter with Luc. He headed directly for the work room in the back of the house, barely sparing a glance at the living room on his way.

Dean was sitting at a wooden bench, short, dirty blond hair slightly disheveled looking - probably from pulling at it in his frustrations - when Sam walked through the doorway. He heard his brother huffing at whatever contraption he was fixing or coming up with now and Sam shook his head, smiling. Really, his brother could be great entertainment and he didn't even have to try. The room smelled faintly of gun oil and leather, much like Dean after spending hours and hours in the place, and was fairly tidy considering how much of a slob his brother could be. But one couldn't really afford to risk tripping or grabbing the wrong supplies when working with weapons, one of the few rules Dean was adamant about.

The work bench Dean sat at held a rag that looked to have some sort of oil over it and Sam wondered if maybe his brother had finally finished whatever he'd been working on enough to oil it up and make it presentable. There was no denying how curious the youngest Winchester had been - curious was practically his default setting - when his brother started locking himself away and _not_ letting anyone, including Sam, know what it was. It looked like he would finally get the chance to find out.

He continued to lean against the doorframe until Dean finally turned and acknowledged his presence, eyebrow quirking up in amusement; probably over the two books held at his chest. It wouldn't surprise Sam if his brother had known he'd been standing in the room the entire time; they'd gotten good at knowing where the other was while growing up together.

When it looked like Dean wasn't done with his work, - the blond turned back to the workbench and continued huffing out his frustrations - Sam hopped up onto the small counter next to the sink where Dean washed up, and cracked open the book Luc had disrupted him from reading.

***

Sometimes Sam couldn't understand why he bothered trying to spend time with his brother after his trips to town. They always seemed to end up having the same conversation over and over again. The words may have changed, but it always came back to the same thing.

"Come on, Sam. You can't keep yourself from having fun just because you're scared of getting burned again."

Sam knew his brother was just trying to help, but Dean didn't understand. It was easy for his brother to stick to one-night stands - love 'em and leave 'em. When Sam had sex, it needed to mean something more than just getting off. It might not have made him sound very "macho" or "manly", - just another bullet to add to the list of what made him odd - but he didn't really care. It wasn't like he didn't have a reason to be wary about letting someone close – Ruby had had him so twisted up in knots he didn't know which way was up. And Jake...

Jake had been the _one_. Sam had _known_ they were going to work out, be together forever, and somehow… he wasn't sure when it happened but they'd grown apart. He couldn't even be angry at the man; it wasn't anyone's fault. But that didn't stop it from hurting, and Sam didn't see anything wrong with being more cautious about who he'd let in. Not that his experiences kept him from _wanting_ more, Sam was just being careful.

"I don't just want to get laid, Dean. We've talked about this before. It's not about me being afraid of getting hurt," Sam would never admit that as being part of his reasoning to Dean, anyways, "But I don't feel right having sex just to have sex. And you _know_ it."

He watched as Dean paused in his tinkering - Sam still didn't know what his brother was working on and the curiosity was killing him - to turn his way. Sam hated when Dean got like this, pushing him; Dean only did it because he loved him and wanted his little brother to be happy, but that didn't make it any easier to listen to.

"How would you know that, Sam? You've never done it. You could put aside that crazy need for meaningful relationships long enough to give it a try. Why don't you give Luc a chance? The guy’s hot and he practically owns half the town."

Sam scoffed at Dean's suggestion, not bothering to repress his shudder at the man's name.

"I'm _not_ going to sleep with Luc, Dean."

　  
"I'm not saying you've got to fall in love with the guy, Sam. But it wouldn't kill you to get laid by someone who's so obviously interested."

"Interested..? That's one word for it," Sam snorted and closed his book as he hopped off the small counter he'd been occupying, walking out of the room and leaving his brother grumbling behind him. It was getting tiring; Dean's repeated attempts at getting him to sleep with Luc. The man came off as more _obsessed_ than anything else. Luc never seemed to leave him alone when he was in town. He always stepped into Sam’s space and made his... _intentions_ toward Sam impossible to miss. And on the odd night when Sam would accompany Dean to the tavern in town, Luc acted downright _possessive_ , like Sam was already _his_.

Sam kept walking, not paying attention to where he was going. The dirt crunched softly beneath his feet with each step, kicking up small puffs of dust in his wake. It wasn't until he was nudged by something soft and furry that he realized he'd ended up in the stable holding Impala. She looked at him for a moment when his attention finally focused onto his surroundings before nudging him again and Sam couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, girl. Come on out," he said as he unlatched the stall, allowing the black beauty room to stretch her legs out in the open.

Sam fell in step with the horse, reaching out and petting down her neck as they walked out of the stable into the field that stretched beyond their house. Impala stayed at a pace the human could keep up with as they made their way to an open patch of grass; dandelions interspersed throughout. The pair always seemed to end up out there after Sam and Dean's fights. The younger Winchester needed the space, always had, to cool off. Because he knew Dean didn't deserve his anger, not really; his brother hadn't ever seen Luc at his most possessive and Sam hadn't shared. He preferred trying to push it out of his mind.

To do that after a fight, he needed to feel free. Have room to move. And Impala, the genius she was, seemed to understand that Sam benefited from her quiet companionship. She may have been a horse, but she was still a part of their family, and Sam loved being able to turn to that when things felt out of control. It helped, too, that the horse didn't choose sides. The only reason it was Sam she walked with and not Dean was that he was the first to make it outside. He figured her equal treatment of the two of them did the both of them good.

It was still fairly early in the day – Sam having made his way to town when the sun was just up, earlier than he normally went. He’d left Anna's before the town became the bustling, busy place it got to be as the morning went on. The sun was high in the sky, no clouds around to block its warm rays as Sam found an extra soft mound of dirt and grass and promptly plopped himself onto his back, closing his eyes. The sun felt good on his skin, helped to drain the last of his tension - from both his meeting with Luc _and_ the argument with Dean - out until he finally started feeling boneless and relaxed. Sam was peripherally aware of Impala's presence somewhere to his left, probably nibbling away at some of the greens around them, and relaxed even further until he heard his brother calling for him to head back to their house.

Sam huffed a put upon sigh but smiled at the excitement clear in his brother's voice. Pushing up from the ground, the younger Winchester opened his eyes and found Impala trotting around in the field; Sam obviously wasn't the only one who could tell how excited Dean was. Sam stood, brushing dirt and grass from his pants before whistling, calling Impala his way. After trotting to him, they both walked home the same they walked out there, side by side as Sam ran his hand over the horse's neck.

***

"This is what you've been working on all this time?" Sam asked, unable to keep the awe out of his voice as he looked at the device on the work bench.

On the bench sat an intricately designed crossbow. Its size explained why Sam could never see what it was from behind Dean; it was barely the length of his or Dean's forearm. It had an iron trigger and Sam couldn't help but be impressed. The iron trigger would allow for better aim, as it could be kept cocked and ready for longer periods of time.

His brother had carved symbols all over it - black lines etched into the light wood. Sam recognized them as many of the symbols he'd seen in various books he'd bought. Loops and swirls interconnected; tribal-looking and never with a starting or ending point. _No wonder it took him so long to finish_ , Sam thought as he turned back to look at his brother who stood behind him, practically thrumming with excitement.

"That's my baby. I did everything I could to get her as close to perfect as humanly possible. What do you think, Sammy?"

In light of Dean's enthusiasm and hard work, Sam ignored the name - _this_ time.

"I think you did one hell of a job, Dean," he smiled at his brother, allowing some of Dean's excitement to bleed into him. "You finished it in time? That weapons show is pretty soon, right?"

Since Dean started working on weapons, and creating pieces of his own, his brother had gone to the weapons show that was held not too far from the town they now lived in. It was one of the main reasons they'd come to live there, though the bookshop hadn't hurt Sam's vote in staying. And now his brother had something more amazing than he'd ever created before to show off and it could only help them in the future; the more people that realized how good Dean was at his work, the more would come to him for commissions. And Sam knew that was something Dean strived for.

"Yep. I just finished the last of the etchings and wanted to show you the finished product before I get packed up and ready to go."

"Well, you've shown me. What the hell are you standing around for? The faster you get there the faster you become world famous and I can mooch off you for life."

Sam acted like he didn't feel the punch to his shoulder as his brother walked out of the room and he laughed at the exasperated look on Dean's face.

***

Dean looked over his shoulder one last time, waving goodbye to his grinning brother, before he steered Impala to the right, the direction he'd taken to get to the show every year since they moved to town.

The sun had begun to set as he left his house and brother behind. Dean led Impala deeper into the forest, taking the road he was familiar with after years of travelling it, and the trees blocked the small amount of light left illuminating their part of the world. Before it became so dark he couldn't see his hand in front of his nose, Dean pulled out the lantern he made sure to carry and lit it; light cascaded out as the oiled wick burned behind it’s glass enclosure.

Each step forward was one step closer to the show, and the opportunity to show off something that had taken so much time and effort to create. He kept the crossbow wrapped carefully in his pack, hanging at his right, unwilling to risk it falling free of its packaging.

Coming to a fork in the road, Dean looked from left to right, weighing his options. Every year he steered Impala left, down the path he'd become familiar with. But it always took longer than he liked to get there and he didn't want to ride with his creation any longer than he had to. Glancing between the two paths once more, his lips thinned to a determined line and he pulled the reins on Impala enough to turn them to the right. She whinnied quietly at the change in routine but he patted her neck and cooed gently at her to just take the shortcut. The horse didn't seem overly thrilled with the change in plans, but she listened – forever the loyal one – and they were headed on their journey down a new path.

They'd been on the road barely thirty minutes when something spooked Impala, causing her to buck. Dean, whose grip had been loose on the reins, flew off the horse and landed ungracefully on his back, head connecting with a dull _thud_ against the hard-packed earth. With a low groan, Dean carefully pushed himself to sit, glancing up as Impala slowly calmed down. When she stood over him, he could swear there were two Impalas looking down at him, their black fur shining dimly in the flickering light – thankfully the lantern hadn’t cracked or guttered completely during his fall.

He stood, holding a hand to his throbbing head as he tried to understand why the ground seemed intent on swaying beneath his feet. Impala took her place by his side and he leaned against her as they started walking along the road again, only stopping when a large gate appeared in front of them. Or maybe it had been there the entire time; Dean couldn't be sure with everything swirling around him, making his already aching head hurt worse.

The gate opened on its own, or so it appeared to Dean, and he barely made it two steps beyond before he collapsed to the ground and everything was engulfed by darkness.

***

"I say we just poke the moron with a stick. See what happens then," a raspy, accented voice permeated the darkness he'd been surrounded by. It didn't sound familiar, and Dean was sure he would have been offended at being called a moron had he been able to focus long enough to do so.

"I do not understand how that would be of any help, Crowley," a slightly agitated voice came from closer than the other had and the rumble of it, however quiet, reverberated within the pounding in his head.

Dean didn't know what was going on or who was talking, but he certainly didn't expect to see what he did when he opened his eyes. The room around him was dim, _probably still dark out_ , he thought; the ceilings over him were ridiculously high and from what he could see without having to move his throbbing head were adorned in ancient-looking tapestries.

When he remembered the reason he opened his eyes in the first place, Dean swiveled his eyes around, searching out the owners of the voices he was hearing.

"It might not do anything to help, but _I_ will most certainly be entertained," that accented voice, Crowley he had been called, replied to the other voice in the room.

They sounded close enough that Dean knew at least one should have been in his line of sight, even without moving his head; only there was no one around.

"I would appreciate it if you kept any further comments to yourself. His situation could be dire for all we know, as you are well aware," the gravelly voice retorted.

"It was only a suggestion. No need to get your knickers in a twist."

"Your suggestions are of no use to me. So _I_ suggest _you_ find another spot of the castle to occupy if you refuse to be of any assistance."

"Um, guys?" Dean heard a third, decidedly female, voice pipe in timidly, as though she _really_ didn't want to interrupt the bickering pair, but felt she had to.

"I see no reason to be very helpful to this _moron_. _He's  
_ the one who stumbled in uninvited and promptly passed out. As far as I'm concerned, pretty boy here can stumble right back on out."

"Crowley..." the gravel-rough voice growled low, tone caught somewhere between annoyed and bordering on angry.

"Guys, really, there's something you - "

" _Castiel_..." Crowley's voice cut off the girl's words with his mocking reply.

"Guys!" the girl yelled, causing Dean to wince as the volume threatened to cause his head to explode.

Silence filled the air for a long, stunned moment afterward; Dean was beyond grateful for the slight reprieve from all the snarking.

"Look at his eyes," her voice once again that meek level it had started with, "I think he's coming to."

Dean blinked, sure that he’d hit his head harder than he thought, when a coat rack stepped - _stepped_ \- into view, gazing down at him with wide, piercing blue eyes. It took him blinking his eyes several times before he realized the image in front of him wasn't going away.

Scrambling to his feet, rough ground scraping at his palms, Dean jumped a step back from the coat rack that was watching him with what looked like concern, though he couldn't figure out how something that _should_ have been inanimate could look concerned in the first place. He quickly looked around, remembering the other voices he'd heard, to see a long, delicate looking perfume bottle with brown eyes peering up at him cautiously. Another twist around and he was met with a cello, sleek and elegant, with murky green eyes and an expression that screamed of distaste - though at Dean or the situation as a whole, the man couldn't tell.

Finally, Dean turned back to face the coat rack - who had come closer to him while he'd been twisting around - and let out a hysterical laugh.

"You... you're a..," it took Dean a moment to draw in enough breath to finish his sentence, "You're a coat rack... And you have eyes... and you _moved_ on your _own_."

The coat rack - _Castiel_ , if Dean remembered correctly, but he was beginning to doubt his own sanity - smiled softly at him, though Dean wasn't sure how a coat rack managed to have the _ability_ to smile in the first place.

"Well, thank you for the observation Mr. _States the Obvious_ ," the accented voice piped in from behind him. He turned to see the cello rolling those green eyes, and let out an annoyed huff, as the comments from the instrument grated on his nerves.

"Dude, I've about had it with your 'he's an idiot' comments. Because honestly, I think my reaction so far has been damn well _reasonable_ considering what I'm seeing right now. So, shut your pie hole for a minute while I talk to the nice coat rack."

Dean didn't wait for a response before facing Castiel again, - all the while questioning his sanity at calling the coat rack _nice_ \- seeing the perfume bottle standing close to the coat rack, still staring up at him with wide brown eyes.

"Who are you? Are you okay?"

"What happened? Are you hurt?”

The two voices, the coat rack's slightly less rough than it had been when arguing with Crowley and the bottle's – timid, but curious – clashed when the two spoke at the same time and Dean couldn't stop the wince at the aggravation to his pounding skull.

When no one spoke for a moment, Dean catching sheepish looks on the two in front of him, - and still not entirely sure how _furniture_ was able to pull off anything like that - he looked down and pointed a finger towards the bottle, "The name's Dean. Dean Winchester. And I'm fine physically, for the most part. _Mentally_ \-- I'll get back to you."

He chose to ignore the derisive snort coming from the Cello's direction behind him and looked forward to the coat rack, moving to point at him instead. "My horse got spooked and threw me; pretty sure the ground broke my fall, though."

Dean ran the hand not pointing at Castiel through his hair as he said, "Just a bump. I'll live," and winked.

"Shame, really..." Crowley sighed, and Dean chose to ignore that comment as well.

Dean saw Castiel throw a slightly threatening glare over his shoulder, he assumed towards Crowley, and felt a smile tugging at his lips. The sight of Castiel leaning in, lifting what Dean supposed were meant to be arms but were really where one would normally hang their jacket, to his head had his smile disappearing from his face until he saw the concerned concentration in those blue eyes and felt a gentle pressure over the lump on his head.

"Are you absolutely certain you are not injured any more than this?" Castiel's voice was soft, like he was trying to keep from exacerbating Dean’s headache and Dean felt himself relax slightly.

"Like I said, just a bump. The rest of me is its own brand of awesome, as usual."

"You should sit down," the coat rack pushed gently on Dean's shoulders, backing him up until the backs of his knees met with a chair and he fell back onto the soft cushion with an _oof_. "Nancy," Dean followed Castiel's gaze to the purple, brown-eyed bottle as the coat rack continued to speak, "see if you can find Mr. Winchester - "

"It's Dean, dude. I am _not_ my father," Dean interrupted.

"Alright then, see if you can find _Dean_ something cold for his head."

"I'm fine, seriously."

"It would be best to keep the swelling down, to keep any future discomfort to a minimum."

"As touching as this all is," Dean had been wondering how Crowley had managed to keep himself silent for so long, "it's about time for _Dean_ to be leaving, wouldn't you say, Castiel?"

Dean spared a glare at the Cello over his shoulder before looking back up at Castiel, slightly confused by the understanding he saw dawning within the blue depths.

Before Dean had the chance to ask anything about it, the doors to his right burst open with a reverberating crash that echoed in his still-aching head and caused his temples to feel like they would burst at any moment. When Dean no longer felt in danger of his head exploding, he focused his eyes on who – _‘what’ is more like it_ , he thought - had just come in.

When he was faced with nearly seven feet of fur and claws and teeth, he shrank back into his chair, swallowing convulsively as the creature came closer, its breath panting in and out in furious huffs. And when wild, angry eyes narrowed in his direction, Dean wished he could just make himself disappear entirely.

"What are you doing here?!" The beast's hot breath in Dean's face caused goose bumps to form the skin of his arms and legs, a shudder running through his body at the angrily growled question. "Come to look at the _freak_ , have you?"

Castiel stepped forward from where he'd ended up behind Dean's chair and spoke up, "His horse got spooked and he was injured. He only came to us for assistance - "

"Assistance? I'll give him assistance. In fact, I'll _assist_ him straight to the tower!"

Dean's eyes widened, jade eyes full of fear as the beast pulled him from the seat like he weighed nothing and started dragging him from the room. He struggled against the tight grip, but was unable to get himself loose. Castiel and Nancy watched with wide eyes as he was dragged out of the room and to the dark corridor that led to the tower.

***

Sam stretched his arms above his head, working out all the kinks through his body as he laid in the grassy field he and Impala often frequented together. He welcomed the sun's warming rays against his face and arms, how relaxed they made him feel as he spread out along the ground, his favorite book beside him, a bookmark holding the place he left off at. Dean had been gone since the day before and Sam was already starting to miss his brother. Most of his days were spent with Dean, when Sam wasn't in town, and it always felt strange to have the entire space to himself.

There weren't any clouds in the blue sky above him, but the brisk breeze blowing through the field was a clear sign of the coming winter. Turning his head to look toward the house, Sam took in the grass and dandelions and all the other plant life around. Sooner than he wanted to think about, everything would be covered in snow. He loved going out into the white powder, feeling it crunch beneath his boots, but he didn't get the chance to go into town as often as he liked. They didn't live particularly far from the rest of the village, but there was enough distance to keep him home more often than during the spring, summer, and autumn months. The thought had his lips turning down in a slight frown before he shook them away, content to look on at his home in peace before the chaos of winter claimed it.

The peace was shattered by the loud whinnies Impala made as she galloped towards their field. Sam was up like a shot, eyes searching for any injuries on the horse as well as looking for Dean. Impala slowed as she neared him and he ran his hands over the side of her face and neck gently, trying to sooth her from whatever had her shaking and huffing at him, though he was nearly freaking out himself when Dean didn't come out of the woods right after the horse.

"Hey, hey. Shhh, girl. S'ok, what's wrong, huh? Where's Dean?"

As his brother's name passed through his lips, Impala reared up briefly and whickered an answer before nodding her head back in the direction she'd come from. Sam followed her movements and looked where she pointed, then back to her and nodded slightly.

"Alright, take me to him girl," he murmured with soft urgency before he hauled himself up onto her back, only sparing a moment to settle his feet in the stirrups before nudging her sides with his heels, "Let's go find him."

***

The castle loomed over him, dark and foreboding and Sam swallowed thickly against his suddenly-dry throat. Impala's movements were jerky the entire trip through the dark forest and up to the foreboding wrought-iron gate and Sam thought he understood why as he peered up at the rough stone walls, two pointed towers being the highest points of the castle.

He combed his fingers through Impala's mane, scratching gently at her neck to calm her, bent forward to murmur soothing words and coos in her ears before he dismounted and grabbed hold of her reins. The gate was tall enough to make Sam feel small, and that wasn't a feeling he was very familiar with – Luc notwithstanding, anyway - and he found himself hoping, _praying_ that he wouldn't find his brother here, that Impala had just followed this path without knowing where she was leading him. Chills ran down his spine when, as he approached the massive, wrought iron fence, it creaked loudly and swung inward, opening. Wary hazel eyes darted around the area he could see in the limited light that shone through the tree cover of the forest, but there was no one other than he and Impala in sight.

As Sam continued onto the grounds of the castle, darkness grew and shrouded the area; the sun's rays disappearing, blocked by the dense trees. Eerie silence, broken only by his own footfalls over crunching leaves and grass, followed Sam as he walked along the path inside the gated area. The looming stone structure looked more unwelcoming the closer he came to it.

He stopped in front of an enormous decorated wooden door; two large, gargoyle-shaped doorknockers protruded from the door, appearing more likely to take a bite out of him than cooperate; Sam found himself loathe to go near them. Behind him, Impala nudged her nose into his back, pushing him closer to the doors. With a quick look back to the dark horse, he stroked a soothing hand down her neck then turned back to push through the entrance, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.

When he entered the castle, large wooden doors creaking shut behind him, Sam had to pause and let his eyes adjust to the light emanating from the torches that lined the walls. He couldn't see anyone in the first room he found; only a large chair in the middle and a cello standing beside an unlit fireplace.

"Hello?" he called out into the quiet, hearing nothing but his own echo bouncing off the stone walls back at him.

A scuffing noise from behind reached his ears and Sam turned lightning-quick only to be met with nothing once more. His eyes, finally adjusted to the light in the rooms, landed on a door he hadn't noticed when he walked in. It stood ajar, space opening to a barely lit staircase.

"Is anyone there?" he called out again, softer this time; more to himself and the room around him than to try and get anyone's attention.

Sam took another steadying breath and squared his shoulders, ready to face whatever he might find within the room. He walked across the space and barely spared a glance to the coat rack he would have sworn hadn't been by the doorway only moments before.

***

The stairs led him to a dark, dank room. Sam could only just make out a line of heavy-looking doors with bars blocking the gaps in them. The smell of dust filled his senses as he walked further inside. His stomach rolled, heavy with dread as he looked into each door, praying that he wouldn't find his brother locked behind one of them.

"Dean..?" he whispered hesitantly as he stepped up to the last barred door at the far end of the room.

　  
Movement, shuffling coming from the other side of the door had him swallowing thickly, hoping it was nothing more than the rats that no doubt occupied the dungeons.

"Sammy?!"

　  
A strangled sound escaped Sam's throat when Dean's startled voice reached his ears. How - _why_ would someone have locked his brother in a cell in a castle? Dean wasn't a saint, sure, but he had certainly never done anything in his life to warrant being stuck where he was.

Sam rushed to the bars of the door and peered through to his brother.

"Dean, what... How..? What happened?"

"Sam, you need to get the hell out of here."

Dean moved in front of Sam, hands coming to hold the bars, close enough to touch. Sam reached out and gripped his brother's hands firmly, noting the lump where it looked like his brother had hit his head.

　  
"Right, like I'd leave you in this place. Come on, we've got to get you out of here."

　  
Sam released his brother’s hands, wrapping his fingers around the cold iron bars and tugging to test the strength of the barrier keeping his brother trapped. So focused was he, Sam’s only warning before being dragged away from the door and tossed to the ground was Dean’s shout.

　  
The stone floor beneath Sam's hands felt cold and damp as he pushed himself to his knees. He didn't notice anything else as anger flooded through him, boiling in his veins. No way was someone going to keep him from getting his brother out of that room and away from the whole fucking castle. Sam couldn't see whoever it was that ripped him away from Dean, but that wasn't enough to keep him from speaking his mind.

"Hey! What makes you think you can just throw people in a dungeon, huh? What could he possibly have done to deserve it?"

"He trespassed here."

Air whooshed out of Sam's lungs as abruptly as if he'd been punched in the gut. The man's voice was coarse and raw, resembling a growl more than anything else. Sam's confidence dwindled at the sound. He still couldn't see whoever - _or whatever_ , his mind provided unhelpfully - had locked his brother up, but he heard movement from the shadows on the other side of the room. Putting aside the fear he felt coiling through him over this unseen adversary, Sam spoke again.

"Please, just let him go. I'll do anything. He won't bother you ever again." Sam didn't care if his voice shook or that he had just begged this person he didn't even know to give him his brother back. He only cared about getting Dean out of that cell and away from this castle as fast as they could move.

"There's nothing you can do," the man - _creature_ \- snarled at him and Sam's mind raced with thoughts, ways to get him and his brother out of this, but he couldn't come up with anything. All Sam could think of was that lump on his brother's head and how Dean needed to see a doctor to make sure he wasn't seriously injured. He sucked in a sharp breath as his mind caught on one idea and he stood shakily, hand gripping the wall behind him as he heaved himself upright.

"Take me instead," Sam was beyond surprised when he heard how steady his voice was; but this was his brother, and he'd do anything to keep his family safe.

"No Sam, you can't do that. Just get out of here!"

Sam saw Dean's knuckles gripping the bars of the heavy cell door, knew that his brother wouldn't agree with this. But Dean had always taken care of him, all their lives, and this time it was Sam's turn to do the protecting. It was something he could, and _would_ , do.

The man across the tower scoffed and Sam clenched his fingers tightly together before loosening them, trying to keep himself from fidgeting as he worried over what this creature might do to them.

"You..." the creature growled, sounding like he'd never heard something so ridiculous in his life - _and maybe he hasn't_ , Sam thought distractedly - before continuing softer, almost disbelieving, a question in the man's voice, "You would take his place?"

"Come on, Sam. You don't know what you're doing!"

Sam ignored Dean's yells and refused to lower his eyes when he addressed the other man in the room once again, voice as hard as he could make it. " _If_ I did, would you let my brother go?"

He heard the man shuffling across the way, coming closer by the sounds of it, and Sam had to force himself to stay where he was; to not back himself into the cold wall behind him or throw himself in front of the cell Dean occupied.

"Yes. But you must vow to stay here. Indefinitely.”

And Sam had figured when he made the offer that he would have to stay for a long time, but hearing it said out loud was something completely different; it made it real. But the younger Winchester would not have made the offer if he wasn't prepared for that possibility, and his brother's well-being was worth more than anything to Sam.

He was not, however, prepared to give his answer until he knew who or _what_ he was making this deal with. Squinting in the darkness did nothing to help make out the figure and he gave up trying to see from where he stood. Sam took a step forward, towards the pool of light cast through a high window in the tower wall. "Come into the light."

The hair on the back of Sam's neck stood up and he knew the man who'd imprisoned his brother must have been staring straight at him now. His body practically vibrated with tension as he tried to keep from lowering his eyes, even if he didn't know whether he was looking _at_ the one across the tower. The sound of shuffling caught his attention and he didn't want to drop his gaze, didn't _want_ to give into the quiet fear he'd felt since first hearing this creature's voice. But then a giant clawed paw slid into the lighted part of the tower.

Sam didn't have time to process the sight before the rest of the Beast followed and Sam's eyes slowly slid up from the clawed paws to the massive legs, longer than his own. Broad shouldered and covered in honey brown locks that were probably just as unmanageable as his own mop of hair, he thought slightly hysterically. The creature’s face was twisted in an angry sort of disbelief, like Sam couldn't possibly be offering what he was. But the Beast didn't know his family, didn't know everything Dean had always done for him.

Sam took a step closer to the light, and the now-illuminated beast – and another and another until he stood within arm’s reach. He realized with an odd sort of detachment then just how odd it was to have to look up to meet someone's eyes. The young man had practically towered over everyone he'd known since he turned fifteen and it wasn't often that Sam met someone taller than him - even if it was only by an inch or two.

Determined hazel locked with hard, disbelieving amber. His jaw set, defiant, like it had every time he had it out with his father. Moments passed, and Dean could have been yelling in the background for Sam to get out of there, but Sam couldn't hear anything beyond the blood rushing in his ears and the four words that left his lips.

"You have my word."

Everything happened in a whirl of motion that Sam couldn't possibly have followed. Before he could take even a step back, the Beast had crossed the room and ripped his brother's cell door open. Dean was dragged out of the cell by the scruff of his neck and the Beast and his brother were down the stairs, Sam's shouts to wait ignored in the flurry of chaos. The tower's heavy wooden door was slammed shut upon the Beast's exit and Sam pounded his fists against the unforgiving barrier. He only just managed to stop before his fists bloodied and ran to the window on the other side of the room, facing the front grounds of the castle.

All Sam could do was watch as the Beast carelessly tossed his struggling brother into what looked something like a horseless-carriage; the dim light from torches lining the castle's walkway didn't allow for him to see it clearly.

Watching what _should_ have been an inanimate object carry his brother - the last of his family - away, Sam felt a tear streak down his cheek to land salty and hot against his lips as his anxious breaths panted in and out. His chest felt like it was on fire as he turned his back to the window and it finally, truly hit him. He would never see his big brother again. He was going to spend the rest of his life in this castle; away from Anna and Jo, the bookshop and the tavern, everything and everyone he'd gotten close to ever since he and Dean had moved to town. His breath hitched at the thought of his brother and suddenly his legs refused to hold his weight. He barely felt it as he hit the cold ground, his back resting against the tower wall.

By the time the Beast was opening the wooden door, Sam had his knees pulled to his chest, head buried in his arms atop them. He hadn't let any more tears free after he sank to the floor, just curled up as small as he could and tried to block out the knowledge of what he'd just done, what he’d given up. Sam didn't bother lifting his head up at the sound of the door squeaking open, or the Beast's shuffled steps into the tower; missing the way those amber eyes were momentarily filled with what could have been described as sadness at the pitiful sight he made.

When the shuffling stopped, Sam finally lifted his head to glare up at his captor with watery eyes. His voice sounded hollower than it ever had before, rough from tears he refused to shed and he fought the urge to clear his throat. "You didn't let me say goodbye. He's all I have - _had_. I'll never see him again, and you didn't let me say goodbye."

When nothing was said in return Sam shook his head sadly and laid his cheek against his arms, closing his eyes against the room around him. The Beast inhaled several times as though about to speak before any words reached Sam's ears.

"I'll show you to your room."

The words were spoken almost softly and had Sam lifting his head before what the Beast said sunk in. His brow crinkled and he wasn't able to mask the confusion in his voice as he started, "But I... But I thought..." His eyes darted around the tower for a moment before coming back to the one in front of him.

Sam wasn't sure what he'd said or done to earn the Beast's anger, but the soft voice he'd heard just moments before had been replaced by a snarl as the Beast snapped back, "Do you want to stay in the tower?!"

Sam scrambled to his feet, eyes wide in the face of the Beast's anger, but he shook his head slowly; still confused about the possibility of having a _room_ instead of a cell. If the youngest Winchester was honest with himself, he would have admitted to having been afraid that it was a trick, to try and get his guard down only to hurt him some new way. That fear, however, did not stop Sam from following when the Beast turned with a gruff _'Follow me'_ and stormed out of the tower and down the stairwell.

***

The Beast held a torch, lighting up the various pieces of artwork along the corridor Sam assumed would lead to his new room. He was still confused by being offered a room after the man took away everything else; but he wasn't going to risk losing it by opening his mouth. The floor wasn't anything special when Sam focused his gaze there, but he kept his eyes lowered just enough to see where the Beast led him without having to look at him. He jumped a little, startled, when the Beast spoke to him. Sam found he had to bite his tongue to keep from commenting on how the man referred to him.

"Well kiddo, this castle is your home now," the Beast started, voice soft like when he'd first offered the room, and Sam rolled his eyes at the word ' _home_ '. Home was where Dean was, and Dean wasn't there. "You've got free reign, well for the most part. You can walk the castle grounds, and my servants will attend to you if you need anything. You may go anywhere in the castle, except the West wing…"

The pause after suggested to Sam he was expected to interrupt him, or ask the creature _why_. But the youngest Winchester didn't care what reasons the beast of a man in front of him had for wanting him to stay out of a specific part of the castle - if he got curious he'd just pay it a visit later.

The Beast came to a sudden halt in front of yet another set of tall doors - Sam had never been someplace that practically dwarfed him in comparison. It would take some time to get used to it.

 _I'll have nothing_ but _time here_ , Sam thought bitterly as the Beast stepped to the side, gesturing for Sam to enter. He stifled a sigh that wanted so desperately to force its way from his lungs and walked past the creature into his prison; the fact that it was the most beautifully decorated room he'd ever stayed in his life, with a burgundy and gold accented canopied bed large enough to fit even his long frame, and the ornate, cherry wood dresser and wardrobe - didn't disguise just what this room would be for Sam. It was still a cell, however well-furnished.

Once in his room Sam turned around to look at the Beast. If he didn't know any better, Sam might have thought that the creature was waiting for his reaction. But Sam _did_ know better, and refrained from speaking while he waited for whatever came next, arms hanging at his sides as he slouched his shoulders, all the stress of the day catching up to him.

From the way the Beast tensed the longer he stood silently in the room, choosing not to speak was the wrong choice. He didn't hold back his sigh then.

"So, do you have a name or should I keep referring to you as “Gigantor” in my head?" Sam asked, jutting his chin out and biting his lip to keep from smirking at the agitation showing in the Beast.

"Gabriel," was growled in response - if Sam cared more, he thought he would have been scared, but at that point he didn't have anything left to lose, "They call me Gabriel."

Sam nodded. Gabriel stood in front of him, just outside the door and Sam thought it looked like he was shifting his weight back and forth awkwardly, but he couldn't think of a reason for it that made sense, so dismissed it.

When the Beast said nothing more, Sam turned and walked further into the room; the coat rack beside the wardrobe seemed oddly familiar and he was almost certain that cello had been out by the fireplace when he'd first entered the castle.

Sam heard shuffling behind him, coming from where he'd left the Bea- _Gabriel_ standing as he stepped up to the dresser where it sat beside another door, which he assumed would lead to an en-suite bathroom. _Gabriel_ \- yet another thing that would take getting used to.

There was an assortment of knick-knacks covering the surface of the dresser, included among them an elegant perfume bottle that stood out from the other various items.

As he wondered over why this creature would own such odd collections Sam heard more shuffling behind him followed by hushed whispers. He didn't want to know who the Bea- _Gabriel_ was talking to though, and busied himself by running his fingers lightly over the polished cherry wood of the dresser.

Suddenly Gabriel spoke, voice seemingly booming in the quiet of the room, causing Sam to start and turn around to face him. "I'll see you at dinner, Sammy."

"It's Sam," came his immediate response before he realized he hadn't told Gabriel his name.

"Whatever you say, kiddo," Gabriel said, wearing what Sam could only call a smirk on his face.

The door slammed shut as Gabriel turned away from Sam and the room. It wasn't until Sam could no longer hear the other's footsteps that he realized the Beast must have remembered what his brother had been calling him in the tower.

The reminder of his brother and the way Dean had yelled for him even as he'd been dragged from the castle had Sam pushing away from the dresser, with enough force to shake its contents, and running into what he had correctly assumed to be the bathroom; making it to the toilet just as the retching started.

A glass of water was pushed into his hand when he sat back and Sam took it after flushing down the evidence of the toll of the day's stress, rinsing his mouth out and swallowing some down to rid him of the awful taste in his mouth, before it hit him that someone else was in the bathroom with him. He hadn't heard the main door open, but he had been busy losing the meager contents of that afternoon's lunch just moments before.

Running a shaky hand through sweaty hair, Sam turned to whoever had given him the water and was met with a blue-eyed coat rack - the very same one he'd seen out by the stairs and beside his wardrobe - who smiled gently down at him.

After staring another beat, Sam cleared his throat. "Um.. thanks...uh?"

Thankfully, the coat rack seemed to take pity on him and answered his unasked question.

"I am Castiel," his voice was rough, but gentle and Sam felt himself relax slightly - Castiel may have been a talking coat rack, but so far he seemed like a friendly, non-threatening one.

Sam downed the rest of the water and stood up, nodding his thanks as Castiel moved away from the sink where Sam set the glass down and washed his hands. Castiel stood beside him, watching Sam the whole time and when Sam finished he turned and found himself looking down into azure eyes with a faint, embarrassed smile of his own. "I'm Sam."

Castiel nodded and Sam figured the enchanted object had already known his name but was polite enough to let Sam introduce himself. When Castiel left the bathroom to stand beside the freshly made bed, Sam followed without really thinking about it.

As he sat on the bed, mattress barely dipping under his weight, and leaned back against the headboard, Sam wished he would have seen something - _someone?_ \- like Castiel on a day that hadn't been the worst in his life. Had he seen a walking, talking - _smiling_ \- coat rack with blue eyes any other time he would have been positively giddy. As it was, Sam didn't have much energy to devote to caring.

Castiel stood beside the bed, with the same smile he'd worn in the bathroom. Sam didn't feel up to smiling back; he looked around the room again and wasn't as surprised as he probably should have been when the perfume bottle shuffled across the dresser, a purple blur as it stopped at the edge and soft brown eyes blinked over at him. He was even less surprised when he noticed the cello on the other side of his bed, opposite Castiel.

"How are you feeling?" The question came from Castiel and Sam turned to look at him with a snort, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, I'm awesome," Sam answered, sarcasm thick in his voice.

Castiel either didn't notice his attitude or ignored it, "I am glad."

"Yes, because you sounded awesome a minute ago," an accented voice came from Sam's left, where the cello sat, murky green eyes staring at him.

"He seems better now, Crowley."

"Maybe he isn't sick anymore, but he doesn't look all that great to me." The cello - _Crowley_ \- seemed to be examining him, measuring Sam up, but Sam didn't know what he was looking for. He was pretty sure from the mocking tone in Crowley's voice the cello was trying to rile him up. Or Castiel. It wouldn't work; Sam knew he must look awful after the crying and the retching. Castiel took the bait a bit easier, getting more and more agitated if the coat rack's shifting was anything to go by.

A soft female voice reached his ears and Sam hadn't even noticed the perfume coming closer to him. "Don't mind them, they're always like that."

The bickering continued unnoticed in the background as Sam gave the bottle his attention. "I'm Nancy. How are you really feeling? Would you like a cup of tea to help settle your stomach?"

Sam's throat felt tight, thinking of how Dean always took care of him whenever he was sick, but shook his head ' _no_ '. He wouldn't be getting sick again.

"Honestly," his voice was as soft as hers, hoping to keep attention from drawing onto him, "I just want to sleep for awhile." He figured if he was stuck in this room, he may as well take advantage of the comfortable mattress.

"Why don't you take a nap? One of us will wake you in time to get ready for dinner."

Sam shook his head again, voice coming out louder than he planned. "Don't bother."

"It's no trouble, I promise. And you'll want time to change. I bet we can find something for you in your wardrobe."

He almost felt bad for ignoring her as he lay out on the bed, rolling onto his side and gripping a large gold throw pillow tight under his head. The room grew as silent as it had been while the Beast waited for a reaction earlier. Closing his eyes, Sam felt some, not much, but some of the tension he'd been holding onto release. Quiet shuffling and someone covering his body with a blanket were the last things he knew before sleep finally dragged him under.

  
 **Part Two**  


  
Someone clearing their throat roused Sam from his restless sleep and he rubbed at his eyes before looking for the source.

"Wha-?" he slurred, voice heavy with sleep.

"Sorry to wake you up, but you need to start getting ready if you're going to be done in time for dinner," a meek voice met his ears and it took Sam a minute to recognize it.

"Nancy?"

Sam sat up, leaning back against the cherry headboard - that matched the rest of the wooden decor in the room - and watched as the purple perfume bottle shuffled back and forth across the floor. He didn't know how she was able to carry the clothes from the wardrobe to the mattress, but she managed.

The brunette slid out of bed, scratching his head as he crossed the wide space of his _room_ \- the concept still sent a shudder through him even as he walked - and entered the bathroom.

It was bright, the marble counter top a light cream color that any other time, Sam would have paused to admire. Instead, he stood in front of the large mirror that hung over the cream counter - its shining, jet black frame curving along its edges a stark contrast against the lighter color scheme of the rest of the room - and ran some water in the basin, barely registering the voices he heard in the main room.

There were three sets of clothes laid out over the bed when he stepped out of the bathroom, feeling slightly better after freshening up slightly, and Sam was surprised to find that each one looked like a near perfect fit, even for his long legs. He didn't do more than glance at them. Judging by the quick glimpse he'd gotten, they were expensive dinner clothes, different to anything he'd worn before – and Sam didn't plan to start.

The room was _different_ , he realized, when he took a moment to look around. Sam didn't know why at first, but something felt off. It wasn't until he looked back towards the bathroom that he figured it out. The wardrobe had _moved_. Sam knew that shouldn't have surprised him after everything he'd seen in the last couple of hours, but for some reason that threw him.

"I believe you're looking for me?"

Sam turned wide eyes on the cherry wood wardrobe. She had an accented voice, more proper sounding than Crowley's Sam thought, but with a hint of that same sarcastic wit that the cello seemed to possess.

"The goldfish look is not an attractive one on you; just thought someone should tell you."

Sam shut his mouth, teeth clinking together audibly, and ran a hand over his face wearily. He didn't know how much more he could take. Shaking his head, Sam tried not to sound too incredulous when he spoke. "So, what should I call you?"

"My _name_ is Bela, if that's what you mean."

He didn't know how, but Sam just knew that the wardrobe - _Bela_ \- would have been cocking an eyebrow at him had she any. The way she was leaning reminded him of how Anna stood, hands on her hips, when she thought he had just said or done something worth scolding him over. Rubbing the back of his neck, Sam smiled sheepishly, dimples just barely peeking out. "Sorry, didn't mean to be so rude. It's been a long day. Nice to meet you Bela, I'm Sam." He couldn't help but feel silly at introducing himself to Bela; she'd been in the room the entire time.

"Yes, I caught onto that when Castiel was around. I don't think there's anyone in the castle that doesn't know your name by now, Sam. You've become quite the celebrity."

"I'm…" Sam sighed, "I don't even know what to say to that."

The material in his hands as he moved the clothes to the other side of the bed was soft, and he thought they would probably be more comfortable than anything he'd ever worn before. If he were actually planning on going to dinner, he might have enjoyed the feel of them against his skin.

"What are you doing? They're going to wrinkle if you aren't careful."

Ignoring Bela's sharp, reprimanding tone was tougher than it should have been, but it - like everything else, it seemed - reminded him of his brother; the way Dean sounded when Sam did something the elder Winchester deemed particularly stupid. But it didn't stop him from pushing the clothes away and laying down in their place, paying no attention to the confused, incredulous looks the girls sent his way.

Before they had a chance to say anything, there was an impatient knock on the door and Sam was unsurprised when Crowley entered seconds later. He'd been at the castle less than a day, but the youngest Winchester was sure that the cello would never stop looking at him like he was being perpetually moronic.

Green eyes flicked from the mass of clothes to Sam and back before he spoke, "You _did_ hear the master when he mentioned dinner, did you not? You're not nearly ready."

Sam rolled his eyes. "That's because I'm not _going_ to dinner."

It was a little disconcerting to hear the cello snort, but Sam thought he'd probably get used to it sooner or later; there was bound to be a lot more of it from Crowley in the future. There was a moment of quiet before Crowley's eyes widened slightly. "You can't be serious. You don't really expect me to go out there and tell him you've decided you're not coming down."

"Do what you want." Sam shrugged. "But I'm not going down there."

He almost laughed at the shocked gasps the girls gave and the unhappy groan from Crowley was just as amusing, but he kept it to himself as the cello backed out of the room. A few moments later, Bela and Nancy seemed to realize he had nothing more to say on the subject and the perfume bottle went back to the dresser while the wardrobe took her place beside the bathroom's entrance. Sam lay down on the bed once again, head resting on his hands as he stared at the ceiling before falling back into a light doze.

***

It wasn't long before loud pounding at the door jolted Sam from his doze. Blinking blearily, and running his fingers roughly through his hair, Sam looked around the room. The banging continued long enough to have him clenching his jaw in irritation before he couldn't take it anymore. Sam wouldn't be surprised if the Beast was doing it just to get some sort of reaction out of him, but he didn't care. "What? Go away."

The pounding mercifully stopped and Sam found he could think clearly again. In the absence of the raps to the door, Sam heard what he was sure was the Beast's pacing outside his doorway, claws occasionally scraping against the floor beneath them.

"Dinner is downstairs," the Beast growled through the door. Sam had to keep from rolling his eyes again.

"And I'll be here, fixing my busted 'give-a-damn'."

"I _demand_ that you come to dinner!"

"No thank you," Sam paused a moment before adding, "By the way, if I find your manners, want me to give them back to you? Or should I hold onto them for safekeeping?"

Sam didn't know where all that came from, his brother was usually the one to mouth off to people. Normally the youngest Winchester would have been mortified to think he could come up with anything like Dean would say, but right then it just felt really good to let out some of his frustrations.

He heard the Beast barking at someone else, either Castiel or Crowley he assumed, before finally letting out an irritated huff and knocking on the door; lighter than Sam would have thought him capable.

"Yes?"

"Please come down to dinner."

"So I see you found your manners all on your own?"

Sam snickered at the hushed, frustrated words he couldn't make out through the door. He was more than a little surprised when the Beast asked him again, voice soft even with the frustration and anger layered underneath. But asking nicely twice wasn't going to be enough to convince him; he'd always been told Winchester was practically synonymous with stubborn.

"I'd rather eat dirt," he called through the door, grinning at the Beast's growl.

"Be careful what you wish for, kiddo," was the only answer he got before he heard the Beast stomp away. Sam nodded to himself in victory; he may have agreed to stay in this castle, stay with the Beast, but he never said anything about how pleasant he would be.

***

One look out the windows told Sam it was finally completely dark out, and probably safe for him to slip out of his room without fear of running into his _host_.

Nancy had left shortly after the Beast stormed off, offering a sad look with wide brown eyes before shuffling out. Bela stayed quiet, not moving from her spot beside the bathroom as he slipped out - if he didn't know she was enchanted, her act would have fooled him into believing she was just a wardrobe again.

The corridor outside the room looked the same as it had when the Beast led him through it earlier. Torches glowed bright, illuminating the path he took as he started forward. Sam couldn't deny being curious about this place. The little village he and his brother lived in was too small to have anything close to the structure in which he now walked. Even before they'd moved, built a life in that small town, Sam had never been near a castle, and certainly never been _inside_ one. And if the Beast was determined to keep him there, Sam could at least pass his time exploring.

Suits of armor lined the walls further down the hall, all sharp edges and gleaming silver. Flames danced across their surface, the reflection bright from the torches. A prickling at the back of his neck had Sam spinning around only to be faced with the same picture as before. Nothing was changed, nothing was watching him, even if it felt like there had been. Shrugging the feeling away, he continued his walking and immediately the hairs at the back of his neck stood up once more. Ignoring it, he followed the row of suits and down the castle's main staircase, past a room lit dimly by dying embers in a large fireplace, until he reached what Sam could only guess was a large dining room, with its long table; nearly the length of the room itself.

Massive windows opposite him gave Sam an amazing view of the already rapidly falling snow outside, clumping in large piles along the grounds and through the trees surrounding the castle. Winter was finally here.

He stopped just at the entrance when voices drifted to him; his name was said and Sam recognized them as belonging to Castiel, Crowley, and Nancy. They spoke too softly for him to hear any words other than his name, and he chuckled at the way they abruptly stopped when he cleared his throat.

Three sets of eyes met him when the others came out from behind the door, each looking for all the world like the proverbial child who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Crowley and Castiel recovered from their shock nearly simultaneously, and their questions overlapped. Neither made any sense as the words were so jumbled, though Sam would have bet that Crowley's was sarcastic somehow.

"Is everything alright, Sam?"

Castiel took a step towards him and Sam wondered if it was odd that he had adjusted to these pieces of furniture, these instruments, moving around and talking to him. A beat later he nodded in answer, to both himself _and_ Castiel. Being odd was nothing new to him and there wasn't any point in dwelling on it, especially when it made his transition to his new _home_ slightly easier.

"Everything's fine. I just got... bored in that room, I guess," he replied, shrugging.

Crowley snorted behind Castiel. "You'd have been decidedly _less_ bored had you come down for dinner."

Sam rolled his eyes at the cello. Apparently the accented member of their little trio was the type to hold a grudge. Ignoring Crowley, the youngest Winchester looked around the dining room, along the table that was adorned with a maroon cloth at its center, accented with gold trimming at its edges; a match for the decorations of his room.

He didn't know what to say, didn't have anything to talk about; no questions to ask that wouldn't be painful to choke out - like _I miss my brother_ or _Does anyone know if he made it home_? Eventually, the growling of his stomach broke the awkward silence for him and Sam ducked his head sheepishly. "I may be a little hungry, too."

Nancy shushed Crowley's comment before the cello had the chance to open his mouth and shuffled forward. "Why don't you take a seat and we'll see what's in the kitchen?"

He nodded and followed Castiel when the coat rack led him to a seat at the end of the long table. "Thanks Cas."

Blue eyes blinked in surprise at the sudden nickname, but Sam just smiled warmly at Castiel as he sat until the coat rack smiled back, looking pleased. His spirit lifted a little at the sight of it and after a moment, Sam realized his smile hadn't left.

***

On the pretense of going back to his room, Sam pushed in his chair and walked out of the dining room, chuckling softly at the voices he heard talking about him once they believed him out of earshot. It was almost a surprise that they - or _Crowley_ at least - hadn't tried following him out, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Staying in the - _his_ \- room for hours more when he knew he would be unable to get any sleep was less than appealing and he'd been curious when _Gabriel_ first led him through the castle from the tower.

***

The door creaked as he slowly pushed through it and his senses were assaulted by a wave of musty, stale air. The room was shrouded in darkness; no torches stood in the slots on the room's walls. It was all almost enough to have Sam turning back around to continue his exploration elsewhere and come back to this at another time. He was doing just that, but as he was backing out, he saw a small flicker of light at the corner of his eye and stopped, brow furrowing as he took another step into the room.

He let the door fall closed softly behind him as he walked further into the room towards the light. Sam's eyes swept over the walls and paused to take in the shredded remains of a portrait. Twinkling amber eyes were still intact and Sam found himself curious as to who those eyes belonged to. His gaze slowly drifted down the painting, and what he could make of the lips were tilted up in a pleased smirk; Sam shook off the odd feeling of familiarity it stirred in him and started walking toward the light again.

When in an enchanted castle, Sam figured he should have stopped being surprised by strange things, but still found himself shocked still at the sight of a glowing rose, _floating_ upright within its very own glass case. The soft-looking petals sparkled with light he knew wasn’t reflecting from any torches in the room and Sam had to force his jaw closed when he realized it had practically fallen to the floor.

Ever curious, Sam took a step closer, reaching out to touch the glass of the dome case that protected the rose; taken by surprise when he was yanked roughly away, with enough force to have him tumbling back into a wall – the wall, he noted dazedly, where the shredded portrait hung.

He whipped his head to the front, eyes widening at the sight of the Beast, panting furiously above him, standing tall as the being could get. Blazing amber eyes glared down at him, snarl forming across his face as Sam tried to back further into the wall behind him. The golden frame of the portrait dug into the space between his shoulder blades. He swallowed the lump in his throat and opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off by a growl the reverberated throughout the dusky room.

Flinching, Sam stared wide-eyed as the Beast loomed over him, made him feel so much smaller than his 6'4" stature. There was nowhere to go; his only path out of that room would take him right past Gabriel and Sam wasn't willing to risk the move yet. Lowering his eyes, Sam swallowed again before trying to speak, "I- I was just..."

Another low growl had his mouth snapping shut, back pressing harder against the portrait's large frame.

"Did I or did I _not_ tell you to stay out of the West wing?"

The Beast spoke, deathly calm tone sending fearful shivers down Sam's spine and he fought to keep from bolting, afraid of what would happen if he tried running past the creature on the way out the door. "You did but - "

He jolted when a clawed fist flew at him, colliding with the portrait behind him, mere inches from his head. "You have no idea what you could have done!"

Sam felt his body shaking, adrenaline and fear thrumming through him at the fire swirling in the Beast's eyes where they locked with his. Pointed teeth bared in another growl. "I'm sorry," he tried but the Beast shook his head, claw pulling back. Finally, a path to the door cleared as the creature flew to the side, pacing angrily and covering the glass-encased rose with clawed hands. Sam ran for it, the Beast's bellow, " _Get out!_ " following behind him. The door flew closed just as he slipped through it but he didn't stop to look, just kept moving until he found himself in the front of the castle, large entry doors the only barrier to the outside world.

Castiel stood at the foot of the stairs but Sam didn't notice him until that deep timber voice penetrated past the blood rushing in his ears. "What happened, Sam?"

Sam shook his head, shoulders hunched forward as he thought over his options. "I thought I could do this," he whispered, mostly to himself. "Dean's done so much for me, given up _so_ much but I can't stay..." Not where he couldn't be sure he wouldn't be hurt or worse in one of the Beast's fits of rage. Sam hadn't even _touched_ that stupid rose and his head was nearly pounded into the wall. A line of bruises was probably already forming across his back.

"What are you - "

"I'm sorry," Sam interrupted, turning over his shoulder to find the coat rack's large blue eyes watching him in confused concern, "But I can't stay here another minute."

Then he opened the doors and took off, not caring that it was still snowing and he was without a cloak. He didn't feel the cold, couldn't feel anything, even as his arms erupted in goose bumps, clothing dampening with each white flake that hit them. A familiar whinny caught his ears, though, and he slowed just inside the gate at the sight of Impala running towards him, sleek black amidst a flurry of white. She was someone he hadn't let himself think on, had hoped she'd run away, chased after Dean into the night to make sure he was okay. But now that he saw her here, a wave of relief flooded through him and he heaved a tearful laugh that came out more like a sob as she butted her head against his. In an instant he was on her back and she ran them off the castle grounds so quickly Sam wouldn't have been surprised to find her flying.

Wind and snow whipped against him, slicing into his skin like daggers but Sam had to keep moving. He could still feel the _whoosh_ of the Beast's claw whizzing past his head, the enraged roar that followed; still saw amber eyes filled with anger, all directed at _him_. It had been too much and though Sam had always been a man who kept his word, - John raised them to do so no matter what, taught them it was part of being a Winchester - how could he allow himself to remain in that place, with that creature forever looming over him, an ever-threatening presence?

Suddenly Impala bucked under him and Sam had to tighten his grip on her reins, leaning forward to try shushing her as well as he could with the roar of the wind in their ears. It seemed to work and she focused once more on the run ahead of them. They flew past masses of trees so fast they looked like nothing but dark blurs to Sam's eyes.

But they'd barely made it twenty more feet before Impala was bucking under him again, nearly sending him flying off her back. It wasn't until he regained his balance over top the spooked horse that he heard the excited howls in the air around them. His heart sped up further and he clutched the reins tighter between his fingers. Growling reached his ears through the wind and for a terrible moment Sam was afraid the Beast had found him, but then he saw movement in the corner of his eye; a flash of grey and white fur as a pack of wolves circled them. A wolf's jaw snapped at Impala's leg and Sam steered her off the path they'd been following and into the dense forest surrounding them.

"Come on, girl," he muttered, nearly pleading with her to stay calm so they could get through this together. He'd been through too much in the last few hours - the last few days - to be eaten by a pack of ravenous _wolves_ right when he was about to be free.

The forest was dark, only a sliver of moonlight peaking through the trees and Sam didn't see the frozen mouth of a lake until it was too late. Thin ice cracked beneath Impala's hooves and they plunged into frigid water, as black as his horse. She kept moving, swimming them both across and Sam clung to her, gritting his teeth against the sharp pain of icy water stabbing into him. The lake was thankfully small but when they finally made it across to the other side, they were met with the pack of wolves; surrounded and Sam knew they were done for. He was in no condition to fight against them; he had nothing on him but the now-drenched clothes on his back. One wolf slunk a step closer and spooked the horse whose instinctive buck finally managed to throw Sam off. Groaning, he pushed himself up until he was standing, fists clenched like he could fight off the animals with his bare hands.

Just as the wolves moved forward, almost like they were moving as one, a familiar, bone-jarring roar sounded around them. The animals didn't pause in their attack and the one closest to him nearly had its jaws wrapped around Sam's arm before a blurry mass of brown, growling fur sideswiped it, throwing it to the ground. The wolf gave a pained yip but it only seemed to spur the others into action, the pack refocusing on the Beast who stood between them and Sam like a shield. Sam's breath caught in his throat as he watched the creature he'd thought might hurt _him_ taking out this pack of wild animals - their growls mingling as sharp teeth were bared. Protecting him like he hadn't just broken his word and left the castle he'd promised to remain living in.

One of the wolves slipped past his claws, teeth sinking into furred skin and Sam winced at the sight but it only seemed to make the Beast angrier, rumbling a thunderous bellow before he threw the animal off. It landed with a whine and finally the attacks stopped coming, the others backing away from them, panting. Their breath shone white in the cold night air before they all turned and ran further into the woods and out of sight.

Sam unclenched his fists, though they threatened to stay clamped shut in the cold, and his entire body tensed automatically when the Beast turned to face him. Amber eyes wandered him up and down and he had to fight to keep from crossing his arms under the scrutiny but what came from the Beast next shocked him still. "Are you alright?"

Jaw nearly on the ground, Sam could only stare dumbly at the creature - _man_ in front of him. The one who had scared him so badly before - who had just fought off an entire pack of _wolves_ \- was asking him if he was alright. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

The words slipped past before he could stop them but the Beast only twisted his mouth into an amused smirk before he swayed on his feet. Sam stepped into his space, only noticing how _cold_ he was when he pressed close to the Beast, wrapping an arm around him in what was probably a futile attempt to help keep him standing if he needed it. He shivered when another blast of wind swept over them but in the next moment found his shoulders covered in the Beast's outer cloak. It was heavy and warm and Sam looked up into the Bea - _Gabriel_ , he reminded himself - Gabriel's eyes. They were softer than he'd seen them before, no hint of anger swirling at the edges, none even left over from his fight. "Thanks," Sam whispered into the air between them.

"Don't mention it, kiddo," came the soft response.

They started walking back the way Sam assumed Gabriel had come and he gave the surrounding woods a quick once over in case any stragglers decided to come back. Instead of any wolves, Impala came into view, mane wild and flakes of white coating her sleek black frame. Breaking away from Gabriel's side when he was sure the man wouldn't fall over, Sam half-jogged to the horse, patting a soothing hand down her snout. "Hey girl," he murmured as they butted heads, a small relieved smile breaking out across his face, "I'm glad you're okay."

Looking over his shoulder, Sam found Gabriel watching them but maintaining a comfortable distance. Biting his lip, he thought of how he'd just been saved by the one person he'd never have expected protection from and tilted his head, gesturing for the Beast to come closer. Amber eyes widened in subtle surprise that Sam might have missed had he not been focusing so intently on Gabriel's face, but he stepped toward them. Just as his foot left the ground, the Beast swayed again and it was Sam's turn to widen his eyes as he shot forward to try and help him regain balance. "We should head back. You've got to get that looked at," he said, indicating the large arm he’d just noticed was bleeding. Without waiting for a response, Sam steered them toward Impala and he placed the claw of Gabriel's good arm on her back, knowing she could handle taking some of his weight for now. He was sent what might have been a vaguely grateful look but he looked away with a small shrug of his shoulders. It was really the least he could do right now.

Tightening the Beast's cloak over his shoulders at another gust of wind, he held onto Impala's other side to make sure they stayed together and the three of them started the trudge back to the castle.

***

Castiel and Nancy were standing just inside the door, questions overlapping each other, but Sam could still make out what they were asking: if Gabriel found him. Impala was safely tucked away in the sturdy stables Sam hadn't realized were there - probably where they'd placed her when he agreed to stay - and it was just the two of them, him wearing a cloak that wasn't his and the Beast still occasionally swaying on his feet. It was quite the sight, something that tall threatening to fall over.

"Sam," Nancy's meek voice sounded out when the room grew quiet. "Are you alright?"

Again he was struck by the apparent concern the inhabitants of the castle directed towards him even though he ran out on all of them. Recovering quickly he shook his head a little to himself but answered, "It's him you should be worrying about."

All eyes turned to Gabriel who was looking at him like he was a puzzle he couldn't figure out. Then there was only movement as Castiel and Nancy finally took notice of the one who actually had the injuries in the room. Sam stayed back as they herded Gabriel further into the castle until they reached the room he'd seen the first time he stepped foot in the castle. The fireplace was lit and as Sam watched the coat rack and perfume bottle - and even the cello - rush around getting warm water and cloths and bandages to patch up his rescuer, he shivered, wet clothes making themselves known within the warmth of the castle walls.

While everyone was too pre-occupied to notice, Sam slipped away and up the main staircase. It wasn't long before he was shutting the door of his room behind him. The wardrobe thankfully stayed quiet - he was sure he couldn't handle Bela's criticism over his clothes or _anything_ \- as he grabbed a clean, dry top and comfortable pants that he was still amazed to find might fit when he put them on. In the privacy of his en-suite bathroom, Sam stripped out of his sopping, icy clothing and dried himself off with one of the large soft towels he found on a rack on the wall. It was gentle over his sensitive skin and soon enough he was pulling on the new clothes; a long sleeved blue fleece top and dark comfortable pants that actually reached his feet. There was still the occasional shiver but the dry clothes and warm castle - and how strange for it to be warm when it had looked so dark and _cold_ when he first came here - seeped slowly into him.

Folding the damp towel, he set it on the edge of the basin and stepped out of the bathroom and out of his room - and the thought of it being _his_ didn't make him want to cringe as it had before. He shuffled down the staircase and found Gabriel and the others in much the same position as they'd been when he'd gone out of the main room, but the Beast was growling low in his throat when Castiel moved to wash his injury. Shaking his head, Sam was reminded of how reluctant Dean was to being helped and how much of a baby he really was when it came to having any wounds cleaned, which happened a lot with all of his tinkering. Thoughts of his brother still made something in his chest clench but Gabriel had saved him when he had absolutely no reason to do so and Sam had already broke his word once. It wasn't something he was willing to do a second time.

The soft patter of his feet across the tile announced his entrance and all eyes fixed on him instantly, but Sam chose to ignore it. Instead, he took the cloth from Castiel and re-soaked it in the bowl of warm water beside the occupied chair. Ignoring the growl Gabriel sent him, Sam pressed the cloth to the marks left behind by the wolf's strong jaw, adding a little pressure at a time to stem off the rest of the already slowed bleeding. He looked up when the Beast tried to pull his arm away, amber eyes glaring at him. "Stop moving, you big baby."

It was like the air in the room froze, everyone's eyes widening at his words but Gabriel only seemed to pout as he spread his arm out for Sam again. With a small smile he cleaned the blood out of the fur.

"Watch it!" the Beast warned but Sam ignored the rumbling voice as he continued washing the rest of the blood from the wound. Looking around, he found Castiel offering the bandages to him as well and smiled at the coat rack in thanks before taking them. It was probably a testament to how odd Sam truly was that the sight of those blue eyes smiling back at him didn't phase him in the least.

Gabriel pulled away again as he started to wrap the bandage tightly around the wound and Sam huffed a sigh. "God, you're impossible. Sit still for a minute, will you?"

He got a growl in response, "That hurts!" and looked up to find Gabriel still glaring at him. He only quirked a brow, "It's not my fault you keep squirming."

"And whose fault is it that we're in this situation at all?"

"You should watch that temper of yours. You'll give yourself an ulcer at the rate you're going."

It was enough to shock the room still again and Sam took advantage of Gabriel's slackened arm, finishing the tight wrap. "There, all done. What would you do without me?"

" _You_?" Gabriel roared, "If it hadn't been for you... _running away_ , none of this would have happened!"

"Well if _you_ hadn't freaked me out, I wouldn't have run away."

"I wouldn't have 'freaked you out'," Gabriel started, complete with air quotes that Sam wouldn't have thought those claws could make without witnessing it himself, "if you hadn't been in the West wing!"

Sam shook his head incredulously, "And we've come full circle. If you could control that damned temper we could have talked it out. Whose fault is that?"

He stood suddenly but the world tilted around him, seemed to shake under his feet as they failed to hold him up. His body was shivering again, something he'd somehow managed to miss until now and now was a bit too late. Just before he hit the ground, Sam was caught by something warm and it took his sluggish brain a minute to process that it was Gabriel. Wide amber eyes stared down at him and he must have been more feverish than he thought because they looked almost scared, but that wasn't right.

"What's wrong with him?" that rapidly-becoming-familiar growl rolled through him, but he found it wasn't quite as frightening as it had been in the West wing. _Maybe because it was directed at someone else_. Sam tried to turn and look at who Gabriel was talking to but it was too much effort, especially when he started shaking in earnest, teeth clattering together so hard and loud he was afraid they might crack.

Bright blue eyes moved into sight, searching over his face. The chattering of his teeth was almost too loud to make out what was said above him as Gabriel's warm… claws? Paws? Hands? As he was manhandled until Gabriel was holding him up off of the ground. He hadn't been carried since before he hit his growth spurt and the whole situation felt a little surreal - which was saying something considering how the last day had gone so far. Still, Sam couldn't deny that it felt nice, if only because he wasn't quite so cold surrounded by warm fur.

"He has a fever," Castiel's deep voice interrupted his fevered musings, "His hair is still soaked from his time spent out in the snow."

"Moron," Crowley muttered under his breath and Sam heard Nancy telling him to be quiet. He smiled a little at how loud she sounded when up until now she'd only ever sounded small.

"I wouldn't think the time he spent in the snow would affect him quite so badly so fast," Castiel mused while Nancy somehow managed to place a cool cloth on his forehead - maybe Crowley helped, he thought incredulously.

Then Gabriel was speaking again, voice rushed like Dean's always got whenever Sam was hurt and his big brother didn't know how to fix it, "When I caught up to the muttonhead, he'd been soaked from the lake."

The room grew quiet and suddenly the world moved around him again. Sam panicked, arms flailing to grip Gabriel tight before he realized that it wasn't the _world_ moving, it was him. His eyelids grew heavier by the second, but each step jolted him enough to keep him from falling asleep and he soon found himself being placed gently on the bed of his room, tucked in tight beneath the warm comforter. His body shook with the occasional shiver and he looked around until he could see Gabriel's tall frame standing beside the bed and staring down at him. Sam just didn't know what to make of this person?-creature?-beast? One minute he was terrifyingly angry, the next he was saving Sam from a pack of wolves and helping him to bed through a fever. The only other person who'd ever done something like this for him was his brother. And even Dean hadn't been able to carry him since he shot over 6'.

Another cool cloth replaced the lukewarm one his forehead and Sam blinked sluggishly up at the figure, eyes blurring. He blinked to rid himself of the tears suddenly gathering in his eyes. The effort of opening them again soon became more trouble than it was worth and Sam stopped trying, falling into a restless sleep as amber eyes watched over him.

***

Something cold dripped on his face and Sam whimpered, trying to get away from whatever it was. "Shhh, relax kiddo. Just want to get some water into ya..."

A strong, warm hand cupped the back of his head, the cold rim of a glass pressed against his lips and he opened to it, swallowing down a few sips before it was taken away from him. Sam was set gently back into the pillow and he turned his head into the touch when it rested on the top of his head. "D'n?"

The small, sad sigh he got in response wasn't what he was expecting. "No, Sam. It's not Dean."

"Wha-?" he slurred, finally opening his eyes to find amber instead of the emerald green of Dean's. "Gabriel," Sam sighed out, closing his eyes again. He found he wasn't quite as disappointed to see Gabriel sitting at his bedside. The man had stayed.

His hair was pushed off of his sweaty forehead, but the paw didn't leave, stroking through his hair soothingly and Sam sighed in relief. "Thanks," he suddenly blurted, voice quiet and rough, but sincere. When he opened his eyes, Gabriel was staring at him in confusion, hand pausing its petting. "Thanks for saving me," he elaborated, eyes already feeling heavy again. The pull of sleep was too strong to fight and he let it drag him away, Gabriel's quiet words following after him, "You're welcome."

The next time Sam woke, he was alone in his room. Alone as he imagined one could get in an enchanted castle, anyway. His head felt clearer, but the rest of him desperately needed a shower. It took a minute of psyching himself up to push the gold-trimmed blanket from his body and slip off the mattress, but his feet held his weight, however precariously, and he was that much closer to feeling clean. The fleece he'd chosen after getting back to the castle, however long ago that was, stuck to his skin and it felt as if he'd been wearing it for days.

Bela was silent once again as he rummaged for clean clothes and some tension he'd unconsciously built up released; Sam wasn't suited to talk to _anyone_ until he felt a little more like himself.

The towel was gone from the basin's lip - a new one placed on the rack on the wall - and his sodden clothes were no longer on the floor or anywhere in sight. It was nice, he thought, not having to worry about picking up after he'd been sick. Even if it was a little strange to know that someone else was cleaning up his mess. Soon, though, the clothes on his skin became more irritating and he stripped out of them, leaving them in a pile in the corner, determined to clean them up when he was finished. He'd already obviously been taken care of; Sam couldn't let them do any more for him.

He sighed in relief as fresh, hot water pounded over him. The shower was large, large enough that he could spread his arms out at his sides and Sam thought that if nothing else, he could definitely get used to being able to _fit_ in the rooms of this place. Muscles relaxing gradually, Sam sighed, shoulders loosening under the heat and he breathed a sigh before grabbing some of the sweet smelling soap on a groove in the wall and washing the leftover sick feeling from his skin.

***

Dressed in another fleece top, red this time, and a pair of warm dark pants Sam walked slowly out of his room as though expecting something would jump out at him. A thought, he supposed, that wasn't all that paranoid to have in an enchanted castle. And for all he knew, Gabriel had just been waiting until he was healthy again before he took out his anger over Sam's leaving on him. Still, Sam knew he couldn't stay hidden away in his room forever. He was sure he'd be getting a visit from Castiel or Nancy, or possibly a begrudging Crowley, to check on him.

Slowly he shuffled down the corridor to the staircase, shoes making a scuffing sound with each step. No one met him or jumped out at him and Sam let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as he made his way down the staircase. The room with the fireplace was empty, not a cello or Beast in sight. A fire was still going, pop-crackling in the quiet of the castle and it helped ease the last of the tension from his shoulders as he continued on.

With the main room empty, and having seen no sign of anyone in the corridor from his room, Sam shouldn't have been surprised to find the dining room occupied. But he still started at the sight of Gabriel sitting at the far end of the table in a crisp white shirt, sleeves covering the bandages Sam knew were wrapped around his arm. He stopped just inside the entryway, unsure of how to act in light of the different Gabriel’s he'd been witness to. Was he going to get the one who had scared him badly enough to run away or the one who'd saved him, who'd carried him to his room and stayed while he got better?

Then Gabriel looked up and away from the table, amber eyes widening when they landed on Sam. He didn't have a moment to be worried or afraid before Gabriel was standing, nearly bowling the large, cherry wooded chair on its side in his haste to move. "Sam! You're awake!"

Absurdly, Sam felt his lips twitch into an amused smile. "I certainly hope so. Sleepwalking down the staircase might be hazardous to my health."

The room was dead quiet and Sam worried that he'd somehow managed to bring back the Gabriel from _before_ and maybe staying hold up in his room would have been the better way to spend the day. But then Gabriel barked out a laugh, eyes glittering and full of a strange swirl of emotion, almost like awe; as though laughing was something new and exciting. Though, Sam supposed, with a temper like Gabriel's, he wouldn't have been surprised if it was.

"You're somethin' else, kiddo," he rumbled, voice breathy and light in a way the youngest Winchester wouldn't have thought possible. With a one shouldered shrug, Sam sent a half-smile the other man's way. "I’ve been called worse." And in worse ways. But his oddness probably wouldn't be noticed much in an enchanted castle.

Gabriel stepped forward and away from the table, arm reaching out like he was going to rest it on Sam's shoulder. And Sam surprised himself when the urge to pull back, to put space between him and the clawed hand, didn't surface. But then Gabriel stepped back, weight shifting subtly back and forth and Sam was struck by how _nervous_ the man seemed. "I..." Gabriel started, and how strange to hear him clear his throat, as though the words were stuck. "I'm glad you're feeling better. You _are_ feeling better, right? Maybe you should sit down," he reached out again, this time leading Sam to the other end of the table before the brunette had a chance to react, "How about some breakfast?"

Sam's rumbling stomach answered for him while he processed the sudden flurry of words and he chuckled awkwardly in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, some breakfast sounds good."

The smile he was sent reached all the way to Gabriel's eyes and Sam thought that the look suited him, made him look like an entirely different being. Softer. It was a pleasant change from the Beast he'd been when Sam first arrived.

"Alright then. Something easy on your stomach, though. You've been out of it for while. Don't need you getting sick again from eating too much."

"Right," Sam said quietly, watching as Gabriel reached for him again - like he was going to check for signs of a fever on his forehead - before pulling back. When instead, Gabriel walked back to his spot at the head of the table, Sam looked around the rest of the room. There was sunlight coming in through the large glass window facing out onto the grounds - a part of the castle he hadn't yet been to; he'd only run away the direction he'd come, but now he thought he would have more than enough time to explore the rest of the castle. He remembered seeing the snow blowing around outside his first night here, when he'd snuck out of his room. The sun shining, reflecting off brilliant white snow was a much nicer view than the first one he'd gotten. It seemed much of the castle and its inhabitants were that way, he thought as he turned back to his... host.

"How long was I out of it?" he asked when he realized Gabriel was watching him.

"A couple of days," came another deep, familiar voice from the door, which Sam assumed led into the kitchen. A moment later, Castiel was stepping out from behind the door, a tray full of food following out behind him. "I trust you're feeling better." Sam rubbed the back of his neck again, more than a little sheepish at how these people - and did that make him odder, referring to the castle's inhabitants as _people_? - cared about his health, but he nodded.

"Yeah, you guys were... Well, no one but my brother has ever - " He cut himself off when the words caught in his throat, clearing it before continuing like he hadn't said anything to remind him and them of his brother. "Thanks."

He turned back to the view of a light snowfall outside to avoid looking in either of their eyes. The trees must have been less dense closer to the castle, allowing the light in. He remembered how _dark_ it was, even in the daytime before. It looked so much less intimidating, less eerie without all the dark shadows. When Sam looked back, Castiel was standing beside Gabriel's seat, nudging a broad shoulder and Gabriel's amber eyes were staring straight at him. He chuckled a little at the sight they made and Gabriel shrugged the coat rack's limb off him; almost like he was embarrassed. But then Nancy was shuffling into the dining room and immediately started fussing over Sam.

"It's so good to see you better, Sam," she started earnestly, brown eyes wide.

"That seems to be the theme today," he said, shrugging a shoulder. "Sorry I worried you guys, I guess," Sam added, last words spoken under his breath. It was still taking him time to understand how they could be so worried about him when he'd only known them for a day. Or longer; he still didn't know how long he'd been sick. Long enough to feel grimy in his clothes, but being ill for even a couple hours left that feeling, so he wasn't sure.

"Worried?" Crowley's barked out, accented voice thick with mocking he clearly would never lose when speaking to Sam, "Who was worried?"

Gabriel sent the cello a glare reminiscent of the one Sam had seen him wear while trying to patch him up, but no one in the room seemed phased by it today.

"Don't listen to him, Sam," Castiel assured, jabbing the cello in the side and Sam laughed when Crowley gave a disgruntled _humph_.

His stomach rumbled loudly once again, cheeks reddening a fraction in embarrassment. It seemed to remind everyone where they were and Castiel hurried to uncover the dishes on the tray that had followed him into the dining room. There were bowls of steaming oatmeal on each plate, a half a grapefruit beside his bowl, and a small plate of scrambled eggs beside it. Good for getting back his protein and not heavy enough to mess with his stomach if he watched himself. In a move much too graceful for something that was made of _wood_ to pull off, their plates were set in front of each of them and they were left alone; the others walked through the entryway Sam had come in through with a promise to see him later. Then it was just him and Gabriel.

"Dig in, kiddo," Gabriel said with a smirk, no doubt amused by Sam's stomach growling at the aroma coming off the plates. Sam picked up a heavy silver spoon and for possibly the first time ever, did what he was told; digging into the oatmeal. The meal was spent in relative silence as Sam stared out the windows, watching as the snow fell and stopped and fell again randomly. But it was more comfortable than he'd thought it would be, being alone with Gabriel again. He found that, if asked nicely, he might even join him for dinner later that night.

***

Impala ran around the grounds, snow kicking up under her hooves with each trot and Sam smiled softly, watching her. He tucked his new cloak securely around him, colored the same as the decor in his room, a dark red lined with gold trimming. Bela had produced it from within her wardrobe and insisted he wear it to keep from getting sick again. Not because she was worried about him or his health, of course, she just wanted to keep from having to deal with more fuss in the castle. Sam rolled his eyes at the thought, but the cloak was heavy and warm and covered his entire body. Something he was growing to like about this place was how they always seemed to have clothes that fit him. Sam didn't know where they were getting them from, but they were there whenever needed.

His boots crunched in the soft powder beneath his feet as he set off after the horse. It felt great to be outside again, without a storm swirling around him, without the fear he'd felt that night over a week ago. Everyone in the castle had asked that he stay inside until they were sure he was healthy enough to brave the cold of the grounds. The first night he came, Sam would have felt trapped, like they wanted to keep him in his cage at what sounded like an order. But he _hadn't_ been well enough to roll around in the snow - didn't want to risk another fever so soon, especially didn't want to make them have to worry and take care of him again - and Castiel had only requested he stay inside. No one watched him to keep him from going out a door or kept him in his room and Sam decided that it was nice. Even after a week it didn't feel quite so much like the cell he'd originally thought of it as. And now he was out running with Impala, who seemed to be less inclined to leave as well. That could have been all the apples and carrots he knew they spoiled the horse with.

Sam caught up to Impala at a tree line, panting and leaning into her side when they finally stopped. The cloak suddenly felt more than a little warm with his exertion and he fumbled with the tie at his neck. A large paw entered his field of vision, warm against his hands when they kept him from undoing his cloak. Sam looked up to meet Gabriel's eyes, brow quirked up in question and he just smirked back - something Sam was beginning to realize was the man's favorite expression. "Weren't you just sick last week there, kiddo? I'd think running around in the snow without a cloak on once would be enough for you."

Rolling his eyes, Sam shoved Gabriel's hands off his own with a small smile to show he wasn't actually bothered by it. "I was just gonna loosen it," Sam fibbed, letting go of the string and reaching over to run a hand over Impala's side, fur sleek and cold beneath his fingertips. He needed to brush her down again after all the running and wind whipped her mane around crazily.

"Sure you were." Gabriel shook his head in disbelief and Sam couldn't really blame him.

They stood together, neither saying anything, for long moments until snowflakes started to sprinkle down around them. Sam watched as the man in front of him tried to decide what to say - it was strange how much Gabriel reminded him of Dean in that way, unable to come out with whatever was on his mind; unless it was trying to get Sam laid, he supposed - and took pity on him. "I've got to get Impala taken care of. You're welcome to join me if you want."

It was something he hadn't gotten used to yet; amber eyes widening whenever he offered to have Gabriel come along with him, or when he didn't tell him to leave him alone again; like _Sam_ was constantly surprising him. Without waiting for a response, Sam gave the horse one more pat before resting his hand against her and leading her back toward the castle and its stables. The snow crunched behind them and Sam knew Gabriel was following.

***

Impala huffed contentedly with each stroke of the brush against her black coat. Sam smiled wide at the horse, "Yeah, I know it feels good." The stables were lit in a mixture of the sunlight from outside and oil lanterns, glass covers protecting any loose straw from catching on the small flames. The orange and yellows flickered over the three of them, even in the light of the white afternoon. Sam found it calming, like the flames crackling in the fireplace of the main room of the castle. On the off chance he was alone - which he found wasn't all that often when every object in the structure could be living - it was something he listened to, settled into the cushions of the large chair in the room. The only thing that could make those times better would be curling up with one of his books from home. But dwelling on that only dimmed the brief calm and peacefulness he felt and Sam quickly banished the thoughts from his mind each time.

Movement across from him drew Sam's eye and he found Gabriel shifting, restless, like he didn't know what to do with himself. His host was always moving, always doing something, never in one place for a long amount of time. Sam hadn't expected him to be that way after the man stayed with him so diligently while he was sick. But Gabriel constantly shifted his weight after too long in one room.

"Did you... want to try?" he offered tentatively. They weren't at each other's throats, and Gabriel's temper hadn't made too many appearances - and when he got angry, he didn't take it out on or around Sam anymore, always stomping in the direction of the West Wing where Sam hadn't been since the night he got sick - but Sam thought proceeding cautiously with the only person he'd ever met who is larger than _him_ was the best approach.

The Beast started like he'd forgotten Sam was in the room - or like he hadn't expected to be addressed even though he had been invited to join Sam here. But Gabriel recovered quickly, surprise melting into a natural smirk with little heat behind it. "You want me to brush your horse, Sammy?"

Ignoring the nickname, Sam rolled his eyes. "If it's too complicated for you, I understand - "

He was cut off by the large paw reaching over the horse toward him, taking the brush from his hand. Gabriel grumbled, voice a low growl, as he gently ran the brush over Impala's other side, " _Complicated_. Brush the horse, easy as pie..."

Sam stepped back with a quiet chuckle. Impala turned to look at him and he took the opportunity to run a hand gently over the side of her neck, to pet her face. "Feels good getting your fur all straightened out, huh?"

She nudged forward into his hand and he didn't deny her, giving her another good pat before checking on Gabriel's progress. With another sigh Sam stepped up to the Beast's side, placing a hand on Gabriel's paw to pause his movement. Sam felt him tense at his side but ignored it, lifting their hands up together and guiding the brush strokes. "You gotta smooth the fur down in one smooth motion from her neck," he instructed quietly. The paw beneath his hand was warm, Gabriel like a line of heat at his side, so much like it had felt when he'd been wrapped up in the oversized cloak so many days ago. The longer they stood together brushing Impala, the more the tension eased out of Gabriel, hand and arm no longer stiff under Sam's touch. He wondered what had possessed him to possibly grab hold of this being, this person who could be so frightening and dangerous - had shown himself to be so - without a second thought. But now that they were working together, surrounded in comfortable silence, Sam found he was glad, just this once, that his body acted without the express permission of his brain.

Impala's side was brushed out, fur shiny and smooth again, and Sam looked up at Gabriel, a smile on his face. It was always calming, taking care of Impala, and this time hadn't been any different in that. Gabriel gave a small smile back before stepping away, letting Sam take hold of the brush. "Wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"Guess not, kiddo," Gabriel said with a wink as he backed out of the stable. Sam shook his head at the nickname, turning back to Impala. He'd stay in the stables a bit longer before going in.

The door squeaked open behind him but Sam heard the shuffle of Gabriel's feet pause. A moment later, that warm voice - another thing he was still getting used to, how Gabriel could sound like that - sounded in the quiet of the structure, "Will I be seeing you at dinner?"

It sounded casual, like Gabriel couldn't care less either way, but Sam still heard what he'd almost call hope. And it certainly wasn't the roared demand he'd been given his first night here. Looking over his shoulder, Sam gave Gabriel a nod, "Gotta eat sometime. May as well do it with you." He punctuated the sentence with a wink of his own, voice light and teasing. Eating alone in the castle gave him too much time to dwell and he'd already promised himself he wouldn't break his word a second time.

Gabriel nodded in acknowledgment before walking out of the stables, crunch of snow beneath his feet dimming with distance. Letting out a long breath, Sam turned his attention back to Impala who was looking at him in her own, knowing way. He guessed it made sense, owning an all-too-knowing horse and then somehow ending up in an enchanted castle. His life couldn't get any weirder.

***

Sam was walking past the main room after breakfast with Gabriel when something new caught his eye. On the small table beside the large chair, where he'd helped to patch up a wounded Gabriel, was a book he'd never seen before. In fact, Sam hadn't seen any books at all in the past three weeks he'd been living at the castle. Curiosity - and maybe a little boredom - got the best of him and instead of heading back out into the snow to spend the day with Impala, he sat in the chair and hesitantly reached for the hard covered book, still wary of something popping out at him in the enchanted castle.

It fit in his hand, a welcome and familiar weight even though he'd never read this particular novel before. The sound of his fingers skimming over the rough cover and through stiff pages was like music to his ears; like sweet oxygen filling his lungs after he'd been on the edge of drowning. He settled back comfortably into the seat, the fireplace crackling soothingly in front of him, with a soft smile on his face as his eyes ran over the words and immediately sucked him into the story before him, completely unaware of pleased amber eyes watching him from the other side of the room.

***

He'd finished that first book within hours, going back to reread it again the next day during a stroll outside on the grounds. He hadn't expected Gabriel's company, but found he wasn't opposed to it when he heard the Beast's feet crunching in the snow beside him.

"What's that?" were the first words out of Gabriel's mouth and Sam couldn't help but turn to him, brow raised. "A _book_ ," he answered with an amused smirk. Gabriel rolled his eyes, large elbow nudging Sam's arm. "Alright, funny guy. You know what I meant."

Sam shrugged. "I found it on the table by the fireplace yesterday. Couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Was gonna reread it later."

"Must have been really good," Gabriel commented lightly, and he was still getting used to how they could just _talk_ to each other now. Like they were working their way to being _friends_. Or, at least he hoped that was where they were heading. With how Gabriel joined him outside on his walks with Impala and their meals spent together, it certainly seemed to be.

Tucking the book into a hidden pocket on the underside of his cloak, Sam shrugged again. "It was entertaining. And I like reading, so..."

He missed Gabriel's pleased smile as he leaned against one of the many large trees on the castle's grounds. Gabriel stopped with him and Sam had an idea on what they could do for the day, since it seemed he wouldn't be rereading his book just yet. With a smirk, he bent forward and scooped up some of the cold snow in his hand.

"What are you doing down there?" Gabriel asked, smirk clear in his voice that Sam was looking forward to wiping off.

"Nothing much," Sam answered as he straightened, pushing off the tree and backing away slowly. Just as recognition dawned in widening amber eyes, Sam pulled back and threw the snowball forward. The moment it hit, splattering over Gabriel's chest, Sam took off, running back the way they'd come, kicking up snow behind him. He heard the sound of massive paws crunching the snow from behind right before a ball hit the back of his shoulder. Stumbling forward under the force, he laughed and turned to look over his shoulder, eyes glittering. Gabriel was gaining on him so Sam bent down to get more snow even as he sped up, using his long legs to his advantage - even if the one doing the chasing was taller than him.

Running behind another large tree, Sam panted and pressed his back against the rough bark, poised to attack when Gabriel reached him. He strained to listen to the snow being stomped on, waiting until it got closer. Suddenly the sounds stopped and all he could hear was the wind breezing through the trees, birds chirping merrily around them while his heart sped up. Peeking past the side of the trunk, snow-filled hand lowering to his side, Sam spluttered in surprise at the burst of cold across his face. Gabriel laughed, thunderous rumbling that Sam hadn't ever heard before and it shot a tingling warmth through his chest until Sam found himself joining in, dropping his snow to the ground. He tried to wipe the snow from his face - his brows and lashes were gritty and cold with it - and Gabriel chuckled at him some more, pulling him closer.

"Here," he said, clearly amused at the sight Sam made, before he used the edge of his cloak to get rid of all the remaining snow. When he was finally dry, Gabriel's paw unwrapped from around his arm and Sam took a small step back. "Thanks."

"Save it," Gabriel said, though the words held no heat as he smiled down at Sam. "Just don't need you getting yourself sick again 'cause you'll be on your own. _I_ certainly won't be carrying you up those stairs again.

"Sure you won't," Sam scoffed, shaking his head. Gabriel spread his arms out wide like a 'you wanna bet?' but Sam didn't care. The man took care of him for days after he'd _run away_. There was no doubt in Sam's mind that Gabriel would be willing to do so again if it was necessary. The knowledge left him feeling light and never failed to put a smile on his face when he really thought about it.

Leaning back against the tree, Sam waved a farewell to Gabriel when the Beast told him he needed to get back to the castle. He watched the man walk until he couldn't see him anymore before sliding down the tree, knees pulled up to his chest and boots planted flat on the ground. His cloak kept him warm even through the chill of snow beneath him and he grabbed the book from its pocket, resting it on the top of his knees as he cracked it open.

By the time it started getting dark, he'd finished it for the second time and decided to call it a day. The castle was warm and he shook the snow from his boots before stepping fully through the entrance, the large door shutting surprisingly quiet behind him.

"Hey Cas," he greeted, smile on the shy side as the coat rack took his cloak, still unused to having all these things done _for_ him rather than by him.

"I trust you had a pleasant walk," Castiel replied with a smile clear in his wide blue eyes.

"You could say that," he chuckled, images of his and Gabriel's impromptu snowball fight swirling in his head.

They walked together until they reached the main room, fire roaring once again in the large fireplace, warmth emanating from the flames and sending a shiver through his body at the change in temperature. Sam looked at the table beside the chair and he hadn't realized how much he'd been hoping to see a new book until he found none. Shoulders hunching just slightly forward, Sam gripped the book in his hand tighter between his fingers. It was still better than nothing.

"Are you alright, Sam?" Castiel asked, looking up at him in concern. He shook his head at how ridiculous he was being and sent his friend a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired I guess. I'm gonna," he gestured towards the stairs with a nod of his head, "lie down for a bit until dinner. See ya later."

Castiel nodded and Sam heard him shuffling out of the room him as he made his way up the stairs. The suits of armor leading down the corridor no longer caused the hair at the nape of his neck to stand on end but he was sure their heads still swiveled on occasion to watch as he walked past. Pushing into his room, Sam set the book down on his way to the bathroom with the urge to splash some water on his face after all the time spent outside that afternoon. The water felt good on his skin, warm and clean and he almost decided to take a shower before the desire to lie down became too strong to ignore. Blinking blearily at the mirror, Sam dried off his face and left the bathroom. He toed off his boots, intent on lying on the bed and sleeping until Nancy or Crowley or Castiel - or maybe even Gabriel if his host's temper was having one of its better days - came to get him for dinner. The thought of Gabriel getting him for dinner had his lips stretching in a small grin.

Just as he was about to all but collapse onto the amazingly soft comforter of his mattress, Sam saw what he'd been hoping to see downstairs. On the cherry wood nightstand beside the bed - on its right, the side nearest the door - was another book. Thicker than the one he'd set on the dresser just minutes ago. It was ridiculous how excited the prospect of a longer read made him, but there was no stopping his small grin to widen across his face as he sat on the edge of the bed in front of the stand and took the book in his hand. He didn't know who was leaving him these books, whether it was Castiel or Nancy or a certain amber eyed beast of a man who was slowly but surely becoming one of Sam’s best friends, but he would be sure to find out. Whoever it was deserved a thank you and Sam would be sure to give it to them.

***

Another book appeared seemingly out of nowhere while he’d been out that afternoon with Impala and he’d been in his room reading since he saw it sitting on his nightstand. For the last month, new novels popped up in random places he generally frequented within the castle and every time it sent a wave of warmth through him. And it wasn’t just the books. It was that someone cared enough to give him these little gifts now and then. He still didn’t know who was leaving them, but he wanted to. _Needed_ to ferret out who was leaving him these little treasures, granting him small smiles and good thoughts with each story. If it was Nancy or Castiel, he wanted to be sure his friends knew he appreciated it. If it was Gabriel, like he was steadfastly refusing to hope it was, well. That might make him even happier.

Lost in his thoughts and the words on the page in front of him, Sam didn’t hear Castiel come into his room. But the unmistakable aroma of something sweet and freshly baked refused to be ignored and Sam looked up just as the coat rack stopped in front of him, setting a plate down on the nightstand, careful to avoid the growing stack of books. Lips twitching into a smile, he placed his finger in his book to keep from losing his place. “Thanks, Cas,” he said, looking down at whatever treat was making his mouth water this time. His eyes widened in surprise and Sam bit his bottom lip, blinking against the absurd burning, water building behind his lids. It was a piece of pie, apple if the scent of cinnamon was any indication.

He was coming to enjoy living here. Rarely was he alone unless he wanted to be, and it was nearly impossible to feel bored in an enchanted castle. But his thoughts of Dean didn’t lessen and reading each new book brought that to the surface. Some days were better than others, but his brother almost always teased him about how much of a geek he was when he got back from Anna’s and every new book he read only reminded him of that. But seeing his brother’s favorite dessert in the world sitting, still warm, on the table in front of him was nearly too much and Sam was suddenly horrifyingly aware that he might start crying in front of Castiel.

“Sam? Sam, what’s wrong?”

Castiel’s voice pierced through his thoughts and Sam blinked, tearing his eyes from the slice of pie. He shook his head, setting the book in his hands next to him on the bed to swipe at his eyes. “Sorry,” he choked in a failed attempt to keep his voice steady.

Suddenly Castiel was right in front of him, head shaking back and forth – and he could only tell by the way the coat rack’s blue eyes moved with the action. “There’s nothing to be sorry for,” he assured, looking straight in the eye, gaze unwavering. “I hadn’t realized how emotional pie could be.”

Sam barked a laugh at the small joke and Castiel’s eyes softened, swirling with relief. The room was silent except for an occasional sniffle until Sam got his screwy emotions under control and he sighed, embarrassed.

“It’s Dean’s favorite,” he offered quietly. Castiel gave a small nod, of acknowledgement or encouragement Sam wasn’t sure but he continued anyways, “Every time he goes to town, he always brings back an apple pie from the bakery. Eats enough for three people.” Running a hand through his hair, Sam sat back against the headboard of his bed. “I like living here, you know?” Castiel nodded again. “And I think that if I just… If I could just _see_ him and know he was alright…”

Sam closed his eyes and shook his head with a sigh. “Sorry, it just sometimes all hits me at once. The books and then his favorite dessert… Just a bit much.”

“It’s perfectly alright Sam,” Castiel assured again, reaching back and picking up the plate from Sam’s nightstand. “I’ll send Nancy up with one of the muffins in the kitchen.”

Sam half-smiled and nodded. “Thanks Cas,” he said, voice soft and genuine. Even if Castiel didn’t say anything, just being listened to, getting it off his chest helped more than Sam expected.

“You’re more than welcome,” Castiel replied with a smile of his own before backing out of the room.

Alone once more, Sam looked to the book at his side and picked it up, flipping through to find the page he’d left off on. Nancy would be up with a muffin, and some tea to make him feel better more than likely, soon and he couldn’t think of a better way to pass the time until she showed up.

 **  
  
**

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Part Three  
**

His hands were warm where they were wrapped between Gabriel's as he was led into a room he'd yet to explore in his two months living at the castle. The corridor was quiet, no objects shuffling around them as far as he could tell. It was exciting; the prospect of seeing something new. When Gabriel first asked him to follow him along a different path in the castle, telling him he'd gotten Sam something, Sam had been more than a little nervous.

The end of the hall was bright. Light shone in from a windowed wall to the right of the large, unfamiliar door Gabriel stopped them in front of. Amber eyes sparkled with anxious excitement and Sam felt all of his worries melt away, a smile forming on his face in response to his friend's enthusiasm. Just as Gabriel's hands touched the handle of the door he stepped back, shaking his head as though he'd forgotten something, only to tell Sam to close his eyes.

"Come on," Gabriel had cajoled, "You don't want to ruin the surprise do you?"

With a put upon sigh that was belied by the smile still painted across his face, Sam closed his eyes as requested. The snick of the handle turning made his ears twitch but he kept his eyes shut tight, even when the light visible through his eyelids flickered, cool air hitting his face; what he guess was his friend making sure he wasn't cheating. Then his hands were being taken, held easily in Gabriel's larger ones as he was led slowly into the room, feet shuffling slightly to prevent himself from tripping.

The room was dark compared to the hallway by the window. He strained to hear anything that might hint to what the surprise was, but all was quiet beyond the _patpatshuffle_ of their feet over the floor. The air around them was musty, like it hadn't been in use for some time. It was an almost familiar smell. First, because the castle had a seemingly endless amount of rooms that weren't very often in use – but there was something else to it he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Cold air prickled the skin of his hands when Gabriel released them, moving away from him, though Sam couldn't tell what direction his friend went in. "I'm opening my eyes now," Sam threatened, tongue caught between his teeth as he waited for a reaction.

"Nice try, now shut up and let me surprise you," Gabriel scoffed.

" _Fine_ ," Sam sighed, hands on his hips while he waited. Just as he was about to start tapping his foot and see what Gabriel's reaction to _that_ would be, the _swish_ of curtains being drawn cut through the air. Light flashed through his eyelids again, brighter than it had been outside the door and Sam had to fight to keep from bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation.

"I'm opening my eyes _now_?" Sam asked hopefully.

Gabriel chuckled, the sound close to Sam - and he hadn't even heard the pad of feet on the ground. "I dunno, think you can handle it, Sammy?"

Groaning, Sam reached forward until his fingers came into contact with one of Gabriel's solid arms and hit him with the back of his hand. "Dude, you're the one who brought me here."

"You know, that really hurts, kiddo," Gabriel mock-pouted and Sam could just imagine the look on his friend's face, bottom lip poked out absurdly, amber eyes wide as though trying for an innocence they'd probably never truly held. "I'm not so sure you _deserve_ anything as awesome as this if you're gonna hit me."

"Come _on_ ," Sam whined, rubbing the spot he'd hit just moments before in apology. "There, all better, see?"

"Yes, I see," Gabriel sighed, smile clear in his voice. Sam supposed he was pretty entertaining to his friend right now.

"Good, because I _can't_. Now let me open them," he huffed, though his lips were still turned up at the edges.

The room was quiet around them while he waited for a response. Gabriel was torturing him and waiting on purpose, Sam knew, just _knowing_ that Sam wouldn't look until he was given the okay. His friend had been too nervous-excited for Sam to actually want to ruin the surprise.

"Alright, now," Gabriel finally breathed and Sam didn't hesitate before opening his eyes, blinking against the light shining through the glass window on the other side of the room. When he'd finally adjusted to the brightness, Sam looked around and his jaw nearly fell the floor at the sight that met him.

There were two levels - though the second seemed to go on forever, up and up and up - and he turned to find a cherry wood staircase, which led to the second story, near the door they entered through. The walls, all but the one with the window, were covered in books. Shelves upon shelves; more books than he'd seen in all of his life just on the bottom level and Sam hadn't thought that was possible. It even blew Anna's bookshop away - and the thought of her and his old town didn't twist his heart in his chest anymore. The covers were all different colors and sizes, like a paper and leather rainbow; some that he recognized as books he'd read before coming here. But most were unfamiliar and a thrum of excitement shot through him, fingertips itching to pick one up and flip through its pages. This must have been where all those random books Gabriel – and there was no doubt in his mind it had been Gabriel anymore – had left around the castle for him came from. And in the time he'd been living here he'd read a _lot_ , but looking at the seemingly never ending stacks up the walls - he even saw several ladders on wheels on _both_ levels, different sizes to reach whatever the reader would need - it seemed he hadn't even put a dent in the collections.

"Oh my God," he choked out, word catching and getting nearly stuck in his throat. Sam took off around the room, barely noticing Gabriel's relieved and amused chuckles behind him, trying to take in as much as he could. Climbing the stairs two steps at a time, Sam pressed up against the ornately carved railing and looked at the room from the second level.

"I take it you like it, then?" Gabriel's familiar rumble of a voice wafted up into the space between them and Sam smiled down at him, eyes wide and full of mirth. He shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "It's alright, I suppose."

Gabriel rolled his eyes and muttered something like "You're worse than _me_ " but Sam was too busy to listen, pushing off the rail to run his hands over the books on the wall behind him. A book beneath his fingertips was one sensation he would never get enough of, Sam knew. Even being given all those books since he’d been living here hadn't been able to ebb the thrill he felt each time he held a new one in his hand.

A smile stretched across his face - one he was sure he wouldn't be able to get rid of - and Sam hurried back down the stairs before he got too distracted and started climbing one of the tallest ladders up the stacks. Gabriel was watching him and he stood in front of his friend, breathless - from all the rushing around, he was _sure_. "I was wondering who left all those books for me."

Gabriel shrugged his massive shoulders. "I don't know what you're talking about, kiddo."

Shaking his head, Sam reached out a hand and placed it on his friend's arm, fingers curling in the sleeve of his shirt. "Thank you," he said seriously, not wanting to joke about this anymore. He'd wanted to thank the person leaving him those books since he found the second one in his room and though he’d occasionally entertained the hope that Gabriel might have left them for him, he hadn’t believed it actually could be. But it was and he wouldn't allow the man he'd come to call friend make that into less than it was.

"You're welcome," Gabriel rumbled, amber eyes more serious than Sam had seen them since he saved Sam from a pack of wolves. Gabriel cleared his throat and Sam took a step back, letting go of his friend's arm, hand dropping to his side.

Suddenly remembering why they'd walked this way to begin with, Sam's brow crinkled. "What was the surprise?" He'd gotten so distracted by the room and the books and the _ladders_ that Sam had forgotten all about Gabriel telling him he'd gotten him something.

Gabriel shifted on his feet, claws _vripping_ over the rug, though Sam knew they never actually damaged any of the floors in the castle. It was something he'd seen the man do before, always when he was nervous about something, and it never failed to amaze him that someone as big and intimidating and _smart_ as Gabriel could get nervous over showing him something or whether or not Sam decided to join him for dinner - which he did every night now unless so preoccupied with his books that he didn't hear anyone telling him it was ready.

"This," came the answer, Gabriel's arms outstretched at his sides. Sam looked around the room with furrowed brows. "What, the room? Come on, dude, seriously - "

"You like it, don't you?"

Nodding slowly, Sam looked up at Gabriel curiously. "Of course I like it. Reading's always been... I went to the bookshop in town every day that I could."

"That's why I'm giving it to you," Gabriel said simply, like it was normal to give someone an entire library out of the blue. Then again, they were living in a castle where coat racks and cellos and wardrobes moved and talked on their own. And Sam had never quite been normal himself.

His own library, this massive room, stacked with more books than he could possibly read in his lifetime and Gabriel was giving it to _him_. Sam felt the sudden urge to do something crazy, like hug Gabriel, and felt his cheeks heat up just a little at the thought. "I... I don't even know what to say," he said, voice shaking with a breathy laugh.

Gabriel smiled down at him and Sam felt himself returning it without a thought. "Now before you go off and revel in your geekiness," Sam scoffed but couldn't argue the point, "I have one more thing for you."

"You don't need to - "

"This is something I want you to have," Gabriel interrupted, turning to the large table standing in front of the window - plenty of light to read in, Sam mused - and picking something up. Sam hadn't noticed it before, even when looking down on the room from the second story. It was a hand held mirror, small in Gabriel's enormous claw. But when the other man was in front of him once more and gestured for him to take it, it was bigger than he'd thought and heavy in his hands. One hand gripped the handle, the other cradling the back, Sam curled his fingers over the top as he looked at Gabriel questioningly.

"You've been here for some time now," Gabriel started and Sam nodded, noting how his friend was shifting nervously again, "I know that... I handled everything wrong the night you came here and this... can't make up for that but..." Sam swallowed thickly, looking back down at the mirror in his hands for a moment before meeting Gabriel's earnest eyes once more. "It's not an ordinary mirror," he continued with a one shoulder shrug and a ghost of a smirk on his lips and Sam knew it was because _nothing_ was ordinary in this castle, "It can show its holder anyone they want to see, no matter where they are, no matter how far away."

With wide eyes, Sam locked them on the pearlescent mirror, mind working overtime to try and process exactly what it was he was holding in his hands. "Anyone?" he asked, voice shaking embarrassingly.

"Yeah, Sammy," Gabriel answered quietly, voice as soft as Sam had ever heard it. "It doesn't make things better, I know, but - "

Sam was the one to cut Gabriel off this time, surging forward to wrap his arms around his friend, mirror clutched in a tight grip. "No, it's. It's perfect," he assured, stepping away and swiping at his rapidly tearing eyes before he embarrassed himself further. "Thank you."

Gabriel nodded, eyes wide and Sam found himself wondering when he'd last been hugged. By anyone. His brother always acted like he was too macho to hug anyone but if Sam ever needed it - like right after Jake or Ruby - he'd been there. Sam realized that Gabriel had been alone in the castle for who knew how long before he came around, no one to offer even that small comfort to him. But Gabriel was smiling softly down at him now and Sam was glad he was able to do that for his friend even if he hadn't realized what he was doing.

Looking down at the mirror again, Sam's stomach filled with butterflies and he gestured towards the door behind him. "I'm just gonna..."

Gabriel nodded in encouragement, though Sam could still see the sadness lurking behind those amber eyes. If he'd had any doubt that this man was changed from the one he'd met that night so many weeks ago, the knowledge that Gabriel felt _remorse_ for how he'd treated Sam, and Dean, wiped it all away. Sam rested his hand over his friend's arm one more time, squeezing it lightly to emphasize his words, "Really. _Thank you_."

Then he turned and hurried out of the library and through the castle, intent on getting to his room and putting the mirror to use.

***

"Show me my brother, Dean," he told the pearly mirror. "Please."

The reflective glass almost immediately began to swirl, beaming an emerald green Sam had to squint against. A moment later and the light receded until it was only outlining the mirror's border, circling the image shown to him.

It was Dean. His Dean. His brother that he hadn't seen in what felt like a lifetime. He was sitting in Ellen's tavern, a pint in his hand, alive and healthy looking. Sam let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, invisible weight lifting from his shoulders as a knot of tension released at the knowledge that Dean got back to town safely. He remembered the lump on his brother's head that night, how he'd hoped it would get looked at and from the image he'd been given, Dean had gotten help.

Something wet dripped onto the mirror and Sam blinked in confusion, causing another tear to fall. It slid down his cheek and he sniffed, setting the mirror down on his nightstand right beside the neat stack of books from Gabriel. In a flash he was up and getting one of the smaller, soft towels from the bathroom to wipe the mirror off before the tear left a mark. A towel would have to do until he could get something meant for the glass of a mirror. But by the time he got back, the drop was gone, as though it had never been there in the first place. With an incredulous shake of his head, Sam sat back on the edge of the bed. He would never get tired of being surprised by the magic in this place.

A soft knock on the door brought him out of his magical musings and Sam wiped at his eyes before calling out a shaky, "Come in." Nancy shuffled through the door in a flash of purple, brown eyes smiling. One long look at him, though, and they widened in concern. "What's wrong, Sam?" she asked, usually timid voice loud in the quiet of the room. "Are you okay?"

He nodded with another quick swipe at bloodshot eyes. "I'm fine," Sam assured. "Just a little overwhelmed at the moment," he continued when she sent him a disbelieving look. The smile he sent her seemed to quell some of Nancy's worry, though, and she made her way onto the nightstand, where she normally stood by his books when they talked in his room. Her eyes widened at the mirror sitting beside them and Sam chuckled at the sight she made.

"Where...?" she started, question trailing off when she focused back on Sam.

He shrugged one of his shoulders, a soft smile gracing his face. "Gabriel gave it to me earlier." Nancy gasped but Sam barely noticed, "Told me he knew it couldn't make up for everything. Taking Dean away is what he didn't say, but I know what he meant." He was quiet for a moment, thinking over his next words before looking at Nancy with wide eyes. "He's changed hasn't he? Gabriel. I mean, he isn't the same person he was before he saved me."

Brown eyes searched his face before she nodded slowly, top bending forward like no ordinary bottle could. "He has. He's different when he's with you, Sam."

"I guess," Sam ignored the warm swell of emotion at her words, "Maybe he just needed a friend." Before Nancy could protest about what Gabriel _really_ needed - something Sam couldn't let himself think about yet, he continued, "I did. I needed a friend. It's kind of nice... living in a place where I'm not _odd_."

He cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable under Nancy's curious gaze. "What - What did you need, by the way?"

"Dinner's nearly ready," she told him as she hopped off the stand and to the door. "I'll see you downstairs, Sam."

The door shut quietly behind her and Sam looked down at the mirror again, a soft smile on his face once more, before he got up to find something nice to wear to dinner.

***

Gabriel sat across from him, eyes darting around the room. He seemed to look everywhere but at Sam and Sam realized abruptly that he was still nervous about the mirror and what he'd said earlier.

"Hey," Sam greeted with a smile. He felt better after the quick shower he'd taken before pulling on the maroon button down and dark pants Bela left sitting out for him on his bed. His eyes were no longer bloodshot from crying and he was almost positive his smile wouldn't dim anytime soon.

He got a nod in return, amber eyes meeting his warily, like he was waiting for the explosion he apparently expected. When Gabriel saw his smile, though, a tentative stretch of lips finally graced his face and Sam could practically see the tension melting from his large frame until he was no longer strung so tight or sitting so straight. "Heya Sammy," Gabriel rumbled, smirking.

Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head with a put upon sigh that spoke of just _how much_ he had to put up with here. Before they could say anything else, trays of heavenly smelling food were rolled out. Steaming dishes were placed in front of them, a creamy soup to start and Sam heard his stomach growl before he felt it. Gabriel chuckled, but he wasn't doing any better and they both dug in with little fanfare, sounds of clinking spoons and small, pleased groans filling the air.

Most of dinner was spent in comfortable silence, the two of them enjoying the food and the company. Just as they were finishing off the dessert - a delicious, fresh chocolate pudding - Sam looked across the table. "I used the mirror today."

Gabriel's eyes snapped to his. "That's why I gave it to you."

Sam nodded. "I just... wanted to thank you again. Seeing Dean was... Just, it meant a lot," he said seriously.

His friend looked pained and Sam knew it was because of his part in Sam's living here and hearing Dean's name spoken aloud like it hadn't been for so long. But he refused to take the words back because they were true. It _did_ mean a lot. Gabriel had given him peace of mind when he put that mirror in Sam's hands.

He stood, dessert finished and bowl empty in front of him. Instead of walking out of the room from his side, Sam stepped around and walked the length of the room until he was at the head of the table. Gabriel's hand was warm beneath his palm and Sam squeezed his fingers lightly over the furred appendage, trying to convey his thanks in any way he could. The shine of Gabriel's eyes told him his message was received and Sam gave one final squeeze, sending a little wave before he turned and walked out of the dining room.

***

Impala was getting restless in the stables and Sam hadn't been out to run with her for a couple of days. The library and magic mirror were more distracting than he'd realized and Sam had spent most of his time in the new room - _his_ new room, exploring the stacks and climbing the ladders he'd been dying to climb since he first saw them.

But the horse needed to run around and Sam found that he'd missed the fresh air, the crisp feeling of it as it filled his expanding lungs. The sun was bright, but it was still chilly and his cloak was wrapped tight around him even as he ran alongside Impala. He hadn't been sick again since he'd come here and he didn't plan to be anytime soon.

They stopped at the gate in the front of the castle. It looked so much less ominous and intimidating in the light of day, when the sun's rays penetrated the tree line and shone over the castle. Still, this wasn't a place Sam cared to spend much time in after his experience in leaving that first night and he patted the horse's side. "Come on, Impala. Let's go for another run, huh?"

As he was turning, movement caught his eye just before he heard footsteps. His head whipped to face whoever was walking toward the gate, fleeting thoughts of his brother coming back for him flashing across his mind. When he realized who it was, though, he staggered a step further from the gate separating them. Blonde hair bright in the sunlight, Luc sent him a devilish smirk as he came closer.

"Wha - How? What are you doing here, Luc?"

It felt like a lifetime since he'd last seen Luc and it still wasn't long enough. Not nearly long enough. He looked the same, blue eyes still cold and yet fiery when they locked on him. Sam gave a full bodied shudder at the look Luc sent him, stepping back once more as the blonde reached the gate.

"I came to bring you home, of course," he said, voice as smooth as ever. Arms held almost casually behind his back, the man's eyes looked Sam up and down, smirk morphing into a leer. "You look good, Sam."

"How did you find me?" Sam demanded, glaring and pulling his cloak tighter around himself. He wanted to believe that the gate wouldn't let Luc in, that its enchantment would somehow allow it to know that Sam didn't _want_ this man here. But Dean had managed to get onto the grounds somehow, as had Impala and himself. There was no guarantee that Luc wouldn't barge right through and while Sam was sure he could keep the man off him, he'd rather not get into that situation at all. Sam realized he had taken being away from Luc for granted now that he was faced with the man who had always made his _intentions_ toward Sam more than clear.

"Dean sent me here," Luc said, glossing over Sam's question like he hadn't heard him. Just like he'd always done back in town, like whatever Sam had to say didn't matter. It probably didn't to him. “Raved on and on about how he couldn’t find you and needed help.”

Shaking his head, Sam scowled in disbelief. "You're lying. Even if Dean was looking for me, he wouldn't have sent _you_."

Luc only smirked, bringing his hands out from behind his back and Sam's eyes widened at the object held in the man's grasp. The bow his brother made, just as he remembered it, with its intricate carvings and the iron trigger which thankfully wasn’t cocked. "How else would I have gotten this, if Dean didn't give it to me?"

"I don't know and I don't care. I'm not going anywhere with you. Ever," Sam told him, voice hard as he narrowed his eyes angrily at the man through iron bars.

Luc shrugged his shoulders, starting a casual pace just beside the gate. "What would your brother think, Sam?"

Sam's brow furrowed, confusion halting any answer or retort he may have given. Luc's smirk widened into a twisted smile and he paused, facing Sam once more. "What would he think about you and your new _friend_?" he sneered, eyes flitting to the castle for a brief moment before meeting Sam's again. "The two of you looked rather _cozy_ earlier."

Sam tensed, but didn't - _wouldn't_ \- give any other indication of how those words affected him. The last time he and Gabriel had been out of the castle was when he'd started another impromptu snowball fight, the day after Gabriel gave him the magic mirror and if Luc saw them, he had to have been hanging around the castle for _days_ , maybe longer and nobody knew it. Or if they did know, he hadn't been told. But it didn't matter what Luc said, what he thought. He may have only come to the castle to save his brother - something he'd succeeded in doing - but he valued the friend he'd found in Gabriel as well as Castiel and Nancy and the other inhabitants of the castle. He didn't even mind Crowley all that much when the cello had finally let go of his grudge - mostly.

"What of it, Luc?" he demanded. "I don't really care what you have to say about any of this. And Dean would... understand," he added softly, but no less sure. If he ever saw Dean again, Sam knew his brother see his side of things once he listened to what Sam had to say. Because Dean was his brother, they were family. And that was what family did. Especially the Winchesters. "I'm still not going anywhere with you."

"Then I guess I'll just have to go back to town. Maybe get some people together and tell them all about this Beast. They really have the right to know just _what_ lives so dangerously close to home, don't you think? And once they hear all about how Dean was right, that you've been held captive for months... You can imagine, I'm sure, what they'll want to do about that."

Sam swallowed hard, heart in his throat, eyes wide. ' _You wouldn't_ ' was right on the tip of his tongue, but Luc _would_. And Sam knew it. If Luc spread his lies, the townspeople would take his word for it and then Gabriel and the entire castle would be in danger. His friend might be able to scare off a pack of wolves but Sam couldn't expect him to be able to take on an entire town's worth of angry men; especially if the men thought they were defending their homes and their families. "Don't," he choked out. "You _can't_ do that."

"I suppose you're right. And I wouldn't need to, _if_..."

"If what?" Sam asked quietly, already knowing what Luc wanted.

"If you come back with me. If you finally stop denying me what I've wanted since I first saw you."

He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. But there wasn't any choice, was there? If Sam let Luc go and the man followed through, telling the town his exaggerated description of Gabriel, anything that happened after would be Sam's fault. There was no way he could allow Luc to do that to his friend. Straightening just enough to look Luc in the eye, shoulders hunched slightly forward by the new weight resting atop them, Sam sighed out, "Give me the day. I need... I need the day to get ready and," he swallowed past the lump in his throat, "I can't just leave in the middle of the afternoon. If I leave when everyone's in bed, it'll be longer before they realize..."

Cold eyes held his and Sam wanted to step back from the hard look, but there was nowhere for him to go.

"No running off to tell your Beast friend anything, Sam," Luc warned, and Sam shook his head. He already knew he couldn't chance it. Not when he had to protect them as much as he could.

"I swear I won't," he promised, clutching his cloak between white knuckles.

"You have until tonight. Start walking back to town, I'll find you," Luc instructed, face twisted but victorious and Sam could only nod. He turned, Impala following him, when Luc called out, "And Sam?"

He looked back over his shoulder in question.

"Don't make me wait."

***

With a deep breath, Sam stretched his lips into what he hoped passed for a real smile as he entered the dining room. Gabriel was there already, standing by his seat and Sam felt his smile grow slightly more genuine when his friend held the chair out for him and helped to scoot him in. "Thanks."

Gabriel sent him a small grin back before moving to his seat at the head of the table and Sam's chest clenched because he wasn't being given the usual smirks and banter tonight. Gabriel was acting differently. Softer, almost. How he got when Sam was sick or when he was being completely genuine, like when he gave him the magic mirror. Only this time he wasn't trying to make up for anything, this time he was just having dinner with Sam and making it feel _special_ somehow. Sam hated himself, knowing what he was going to do when the night was over, knowing he wouldn't be here anymore. Wouldn't get to see his friend ever again and it was remarkably like what he'd felt when Dean had been taken from him only _not_. But he couldn't put his finger on what made this different.

Blinking, Sam forced the water building behind his eyes to stop. Determined to spend what would be his last night in the castle he'd come to call home, with the one's he'd become so close to, as best he could. There wasn't time or need for his ridiculous tears. Their meal hadn't even been brought out yet.

***

"So," Sam started quietly. The suggestion bouncing around in his head sounded silly even to himself, but there wouldn't be another chance to spend this time with Gabriel and he wouldn't be around long enough to feel embarrassed about it later, he knew. "I was thinking we could do something different tonight."

Gabriel turned sparkling amber eyes on him, bright with interest in whatever Sam had to say. A complete contrast to Luc's cold blue eyes, the interest in them enough to make Sam shudder. "So are you going to make me guess or what, Sammy?"

Sam blinked, mentally shaking himself and steering his thoughts as far from comparing Luc and Gabriel as he could. With a shrug, he stopped them in front of the main room of the castle. "This book," he said, holding up a well-worn book he'd set on the table before going to dinner that night, "Is one of... Well, it's pretty much my favorite book. I'd just bought a new copy of it from Anna's shop the day before Dean left and when I found it in your - " at Gabriel's pointed look he amended while trying not to think about what would come of it after tonight, " _my_ library I had to read it again."

"What did you want to do, kiddo?" Gabriel asked softly and Sam knew, just from the encouraging look in his friend's eyes and the tone of his rumbled voice, that he wasn't going to be teased over what he wanted to ask. It certainly made it easier to get the words out, even if he wished they could have had more nights where Gabriel was so open and real with him before now.

"Maybe I could read it to you?" he suggested, upward lilt making it come out more like a question than he'd planned. The fire crackled, loudly in the quiet of the castle. His ears felt strangely hot, even as he knew there was no reason to be embarrassed about this, but Gabriel finally put him out of his misery with a small nod. "Sounds good, Sam," he said quietly.

The small of his back was warm under Gabriel's paw, skin tingling just slightly beneath his shirt at the touch. He let himself be led further into the room. Gabriel took his usual spot in the large seat, where he'd sat when Sam tended to his wounds, surrounded by beings who'd been strangers to him at the time. There was no way he would have guessed back then how close he'd become with all of them, how they would make him feel like he fit somewhere, not as 'Dean's brother'; just being _Sam_. He settled on the floor, leaning against Gabriel's legs and back against the seat. The fire blazed at his front and heat seeped in from where he was connected to his friend; Sam could almost let himself relax completely and wholly before remembering why he was trying to make tonight more special than so many of their previous dinners and evenings spent in each other's company.

With a look up at Gabriel who appeared as relaxed as Sam knew he could feel if he didn't know where he was going later and was smiling down at him, Sam cracked open the cover of his book and started to read. It was a challenge, keeping his voice from breaking the way it fought so hard to, but he held all the negative emotions inside and away. He would deal with them later. The moment, there and then - Gabriel listening intently, making Sam feel like he could just _be_ \- was all that mattered.

"The sun was already sinking into the deep green of the hills to the west of the valley..."

***  
 _Gabriel,_

 _I'm so sorry I'm breaking my promise again. You and everyone in the castle have done nothing but make me feel welcome for so long. But I have to leave. I only hope that you can forgive me for this someday. I'll always be grateful for the friends I found in all of you and I wish I could stay here. It's just not possible right now._

 _Please look after Impala for me. I know I don't have the right to ask anything of you after this, but I can't take her with me and she's come to love the grounds of the castle probably even more than I have._

 _I'm sorry,_

 _Sam  
_

Every time he tried to write out what he needed to, the letters looked crooked and sloppy; unlike his usual handwriting. The lighting was dim in his en-suite bathroom, but Sam couldn't write it in his room. Not when he wasn't sure Bela was truly sleeping or just playing the role as a wardrobe, silent and watching. His cheeks were wet from the few tears he'd let fall, shoulders and hands shaking with the effort to keep them locked inside while he prepared to leave. Eventually, though, the letter was finished and legible enough. And Sam knew he couldn't make himself go through another attempt at writing it.

Swiping at his face and glancing as quickly in the mirror as he could to check that he looked somewhere close to presentable, Sam walked out of the bathroom and grabbed the shoulder bag he'd left hanging by the door; packed when he was sure no one in the castle was around and Bela wasn't paying him any mind. There wasn't much he needed to bring with him, but there were some things he couldn't let himself part with – the mirror, for one. He knew he didn't have any right to take it with him, but it was the only way he'd be able to check up on Gabriel and his friends in the castle when he knew he would never see them in person again. There was a book from his - _Gabriel's now_ – library, to remind him of everything his friend had given him. The clothes from his first night at the castle were tucked away in the bag as well, and that was all he could let himself bring along.

He took a brief moment to turn and take in his room, the maroon and gold canopied bed that was more comfortable than any bed he'd ever slept in before. The cherry wood dresser and nightstand, both still piled with books read and yet to be taken back into the library. With a deep, shaky breath, Sam placed his newly folded letter on the bed, Gabriel's name scrawled on the top. There was no more time to delay, no way to stall that wouldn't risk him getting caught so he walked quietly out of the room and as quickly down the corridor leading to the stairs as he could. He only hoped the suits of armor slept along with the rest of the castle.

The fire in the main room had died down, glowing embers and ash all that was left. It was only the second time Sam had seen it when it wasn't roaring. He bit his lip, remembering sitting in front of its warmth just hours before, reading to Gabriel. But dwelling wouldn't do him any good and he fled past the room to the front entrance - barely pausing to pull his cloak from its hook in the wall - and beyond, making sure to close the door as quietly as possible before hurrying through the grounds, toward the stables.

Impala huffed at him and Sam tensed at the sound, though they weren’t close enough for it to reach the castle's sleeping inhabitants. "Hey girl," he whispered, pressing his face into the side of her head and wrapping her in a hug. "I need you to stay here and look after him alright? I don't want Luc to think he can have you, too." She wasn't happy when he pulled back, tail twitching in irritation and she shifted on her hooves, restless. Sam wished he didn't have to leave her behind, but he couldn't risk taking her with him.

He left her with one last pat, rubbing his hand over smooth fur, and left the stables in the direction of the gate. It was the only part he worried might give him trouble as he knew it opened and closed on its own at times. But the wrought iron metal door gave easily under his hand when he pushed his way past it, slipping through and pressing it closed. Gripping the strap of his bag with white knuckles, he walked in the direction of town, just as Luc instructed, forcing himself not to look back.

***

Moonlight illuminated the path through the forest well enough that Sam was able to see where he was going. Snow crunched softly beneath his boots and he tightened his cloak against the chill wind occasionally breezing over him. His eyes were wet but beyond the tears that slipped through while writing his letter to Gabriel, none fell down his cheeks. He wasn't sure how long he had been walking down the path when Luc finally emerged from the shadowed trees, lantern glowing just bright enough for Sam to see the triumphant smirk etched on the man's face.

"Hello Sam," he purred, sidling up next to Sam until they were pressed together. Sam's lips turned down in a frown but he kept himself still, knew there was nowhere for him to go but with Luc now. "Luc," he greeted coldly, fighting the urge to shudder when a warm hand slipped past his cloak and settled firmly on his lower back, fingers spread wide. Luc pushed him forward slightly, leading Sam and keeping him close. Keeping his eyes forward, he watched the small flame's light flickering across the trees beside the path, reflecting off the snow still covering the ground - though not as thick as it had been the first time he'd run away.

The forest was quiet around them - no howling wolves or scurrying creatures - and Sam wasn't interested in breaking the tense silence. Luc looked him up and down more than once, fingertips digging into the flesh of his back and Sam bit his lip to keep from reacting. But the further they walked from the castle, the heavier his steps felt; feet like lead and he couldn't help the small, slow look over his shoulder, through he knew the castle wouldn't be anywhere in sight.

"You're never going back there, you know." Luc's voice was casual even as he shifted his grip from Sam's back to his waist and manhandled Sam against a tree, bark scraping the cloak wrapped around his back. His bag slipped off his shoulder, falling to the ground unnoticed as Sam swallowed thickly - reminded of the last time Luc had him pinned to a tree and knowing there would be no getting away this time - but nodded. It wasn't a fact he needed thrown in his face, but there was no denying its truth. "No second thoughts here, Sam. You're _mine_. Stay with me or I go after that Beast, just as we discussed earlier." As though Sam had had a choice or say in their so-called 'discussion'.

How was it that this had happened to him twice in his life? Being put in yet another position where he had no choice but to offer himself - his freedom - over to someone else? But Sam knew he would do it again. When Dean had needed him, Sam did what he had to do. This time was no different. He would do anything to protect the ones he loved... - _loved_?

He loved Gabriel.

  
The realization was enough to send him reeling, but hardened his resolve and allowed him to keep from flinching away from the gentle, unwanted, caress of fingers against his cheek.

Luc stood in front of Sam wearing that horribly smug smirk on his face. The man - which Sam thought was a _generous_ characterization - looked at Sam and it was clear in the triumph behind cold blue eyes flickering in the lantern light that he knew he'd won. He'd gotten what he wanted. When the knowledge seemed to sink in, Luc's hand moved from stroking over Sam's cheek to gripping the side of his neck. Luc's thumb traced circles behind Sam's ear as his fingers tightened in a possessive grip, pressing him further into the tree. It took all of Sam's will power to keep from shuddering at not only the thought of Luc _possessing_ him, but also the unwelcome tangling of fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.

"So," Luc's voice grated at Sam, the _knowing_ and _mocking_ thick in the man's words, "We still have a deal then, Sam?"

Sam closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly away from Luc and nodded, ignoring the acid churning in his stomach as he did so. The fingers in his hair tightened as Luc forced Sam to face him.

"That's not an answer, Samuel. You know what I want. I need to hear you say it."

Sam didn't do anything for a long moment. His chest felt tight and water gathered beneath the lids of his closed eyes as the full ramifications of what was happening hit him. It was all too much and Sam all of a sudden wasn't so sure he could do this.

"Alright, then; I guess that Beast of yours just became fair game..."

Sam's eyes flew open at Luc's words; didn't even notice that the other man had released the grip in his hair. He'd nearly let himself forget _why_ this was so important, _why_ he could - _would_ \- get through this. He gripped Luc's upper arms firmly in his hands and swallowed thickly before hanging his head in defeat.

"Yes. We've..." he cleared his throat. "We've got a deal."

Something _crunched_ in the distance, like a twig being snapped and Sam's ear twitched at the new sound in the previously silent woods. Sam lifted his head - memories of the dangers that lurked in the forest flashing through his mind - and just as Luc was leaning in, eyes intent on his lips, Sam's eyes widened at the blur of fur before Luc was ripped roughly away from him. Furious amber eyes looked Sam over while he stood frozen, breath knocked from his lungs at the sight of Gabriel standing over him, saving him _again_.

Luc recovered quickly, scrambling up without either of them noticing until Sam heard the _click_ of the iron trigger on Dean's bow being cocked. "Watch out!" he warned and Gabriel turned to watch Luc even as he dodged out of the way. Sam saw his friend's body jerk like he'd been hit but it must have been more surprise at the weapon than being injured because Gabriel didn't fall or double over. He stood taller, growling low and deep, standing protectively between Luc and Sam. Luc didn't give Gabriel a chance to do anything more before he was gone, taking off in the direction he'd been leading Sam. Toward town. Where he would tell everyone about Gabriel.

"What are you doing?!" he yelled, pushing angrily off the tree. He stalked in front of Gabriel, breaths panting out in white clouds. "You should have let me go. Do you have any idea what you've done?" Balling his hands into fists, Sam pounded them against Gabriel's chest in his frustration. "He's going to come _back_ , do you understand that?" Tears blurred his vision but he didn't let them fall. "You should have let him take me." His voice cracked and the dam finally burst, hands fisting the material of Gabriel's cloak as he sagged into him.

"I'm sorry," he choked out, voice thick with tears. They fell fast down his cheeks when Gabriel's arms wrapped around him automatically, hands warm even through his cloak where they rubbed his back in soothing strokes. "I'm so sorry I broke my promise again but Luc, he. He was going to tell the town all these lies about you and I couldn't let him sic the whole town on you. I _couldn't_."

He felt the rumble of Gabriel's voice against his cheek where it was pressed into his friend's chest and it was more soothing than it had any right to be. "Hey, hey, hey, calm down kiddo," he breathed calmly into Sam's hair and Sam relaxed further into him at the soothing tone.

"They're going to come after you now," he sniffled, trying to pull himself together.

"You think I don't have a few things up my sleeves?" Gabriel's smirk was as clear as ever in his words and Sam huffed a laugh. Just standing with Gabriel, hearing him act like it was any other night, eased some of the tension knotted in his gut and Sam released his hold on the cloak to wipe his face dry. Gabriel chuckled at him and stopped rubbing on Sam's back to grab hold of his wrists gently and pull them away from his face. "Can't go anywhere with you," he scoffed with a teasing roll of his eyes as he used the edge of his cloak like he had a month before, cleaning off tears instead of snow.

He sent Gabriel a shaky smile and pulled away when his face was dry, grabbing his fallen bag. He'd forgotten all about it in light of Gabriel showing up. It was lying haphazardly, opened and Sam picked it up and glanced inside. A relieved sigh broke through when he saw the mirror and his book still tucked inside.

Then there was a large, welcome hand on his back, turning him around. Sam let himself be pressed into Gabriel's side as his friend led him back the way he'd come. They had a fight to prepare for, but for now he was content to let his friend's warmth seep through him. Everything could wait until later.

Including the knowledge that he was apparently in love with Gabriel.

***

"Show me Luc, please."

Gabriel rolled his eyes at Sam and Sam nudged him in the side with his elbow. "Just because I have _manners_ ," he scoffed.

The spark and glow of the mirror stole their attention and Sam gripped the mirror's handle tighter in his hand.

They were sitting in the west wing. Sam hadn't been back to the room since his first night in the castle, but Gabriel was adamant about using it to figure out their strategy. The first step was to find out what the townspeople were doing, how they were reacting to Luc's lies. It had been hours, the first part of their time back in the castle spent with Castiel and Nancy fussing over Sam again, making sure he was alright. Nancy was the one who alerted Gabriel to his little disappearing act when she went in to sleep on his dresser for the night. It was awkward, hugging a large perfume bottle, but there hadn't been any other way for Sam to thank her at the time.

The sun was peeking over the sky, dawn on the horizon but the room was still dark, torches lit to pierce the shadows left. The mirror's green glow filled the room with its brightness for a moment, though, before just the rim glowed around the image of Luc. His eyes were wide and wild, a convincing show of being terrified by what he'd seen. He gestured madly, in telling whoever he was with whatever lies he'd come up with about how dangerous Gabriel was. Then Sam saw what he was holding and his eyes widened even as he shoved the mirror at Gabriel to free his hand.

His bag was on the ground beside him and he grabbed it, rifling through the few items occupying the small space. The book was there, as were the pants he'd been wearing the night he first came to the castle. His shirt, the one he'd worn the day he went looking for Dean, was gone. In Luc's hands. And he was using it to tell - _Dean_.

Dean's hand took the shirt from Luc's and Sam breathed out a, " _No_ ," before his brother's face joined Luc's in the mirror. There was a familiar, enraged, protective glint causing Dean's green eyes to spark to life. Face set in determination, Sam watched helpless to do anything as Dean led Luc out of his work room and in the direction of the town.

Gabriel's steadying hand on his back refocused his attention and Sam looked up at him, the image in the mirror sparking one last time before fading out. "How can you be so calm about all this?" he asked uncomprehendingly.

Gabriel shrugged. "You think this is the first time we've had to deal with people finding out about us?" He still wore a casual smirk but his eyes were full of stories, history Sam had yet to hear and knew he wouldn't right now. "We'll deal with this, people tend to run away when inanimate objects start fighting back." He finished with an amused smile and Sam shook his head, chuckling quietly.

"That would probably be pretty effective," he agreed. The hand moved from his back, leaving it strangely cold and Sam tried to ignore the reason behind that. He hadn't yet let himself think on his revelation earlier, didn't know what to do about it. And right before his whole town came to rid themselves of a Beast was the wrong time to bring it up. There was also the underlying fear that he was alone in his feelings.

But now wasn't the time for that.

"So what do you need me to do?"

***

The castle was unusually quiet and still, much like the night before. Castiel and Crowley led most of the enchanted inhabitants to the front of the castle and the main room with its blazing fireplace was cluttered by what looked like some of the most random assortment of items Sam had ever seen. He nodded to the coat rack and cello as he walked past, having just come in from checking on and apologizing to Impala one last time for the night. Passing the group of enchanted objects, Sam climbed the stairs and followed the corridor to the West wing.

Gabriel was sitting at a small round table, watching the glowing rose Sam remembered nearly touching. It was wilting; down to barely any petals compared to the last time he'd seen it, but it still floated and shimmered beneath the glass case. He still didn't know the rose's significance, barely even noticed it when they'd come up to plan earlier, but his friend continued to stare at it even as Sam walked into the room and stood beside him. Sam rested his hand on Gabriel's shoulder and gave him a small smile when his friend looked up, eyes wide like he hadn't heard Sam come in.

"Everyone's ready downstairs," he told him, squeezing Gabriel's shoulder once before letting go. Gabriel nodded in acknowledgment.

"You should wait in your room, Sam," Gabriel said and Sam shook his head.

"We went over this already. I'm not gonna just hide while you take care of the problem _I_ brought on you."

"What will it take to get through that Cro-Magnon skull of yours, Winchester? None of this is your fault and we can handle it." Gabriel stood, towering over Sam much like he had in the tower, amber eyes glittering in the rose's ethereal glow. "Don't make me lock you in there, Sam."

Sam glared up at him defiantly, jaw set. "You're not doing this alone. If you don't want me up here, then I'll help the others downstairs. But I'm _helping_."

Gabriel released a rumbling sigh, shaking his head with a small smile on his face. "Anyone ever tell you you're irritatingly stubborn?"

Sam smirked, "It's kind of a family trait."

"Alright then, kiddo. Guess we're doing this together," Gabriel finally conceded.

"You're damn right we are."

"Shut up before I change my mind."

***

Gabriel wasn't wrong about people running away when faced by things they would never have imagined could move, let alone _attack_ , on their own. Sam watched most of it from the top of the stairs. The men made their way slowly and quietly into the castle - he hadn't thought they would know how to _be_ quiet, but they were better than he'd given them credit for. Gabriel was still in the west wing, keeping an eye out from the balcony there in case any stragglers tried to find another way into the castle.

The moment Castiel gave the signal, chaos erupted. Each object found a person to fight against, backing them out of the castle however they could. It didn't take much; most of the men weren't prepared for anything but the one beast, he was sure - Luc hadn't seen any of the enchanted objects when he'd been spying and if Dean had tried to warn them, they obviously hadn't believed him.

Sam turned from the scene when the last of the men he'd seen were driven out, intent on getting back to Gabriel as fast as he could. He felt a smile twitching the corners of his lips - Gabriel had been right, they _did_ know how to handle this situation - as he walked down the corridor. The door to the room was open and Sam pushed his way in. Gabriel was still keeping watch at the balcony, his back to Sam. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a calloused hand clamped over it, stifling the alarmed sound that startled out of him. He was pulled back into a solid, familiar chest as another figure stalked silently past them, fingers held over smirking lips in an unheard " _Shhhh_ ". Luc crept into the room, Sam locked in Dean's hold - his brother had always been the one to win their brotherly scuffles before and now was no different.

"Calm down, Sam," Dean hissed quietly in his ear. "We're getting you out of here."

Sam shook his head and tried calling out to Gabriel, to warn him. Lifting a hand to peel Dean's fingers off his face, Sam yelled, "Watch out!"

The sudden noise in the otherwise silent room took Luc by surprise long enough for Gabriel to turn around, growling dangerously as he dodged the arrow shot haphazardly at him.

"Sam, what the hell!" Dean hissed behind him and Sam turned to his brother. "I don't know what the hell _Luc_ told you, but he was _lying_ ," he said, still struggling to get out of Dean's grip on him.

"You alright there, kiddo?" Gabriel rumbled, eyes never leaving the newly loaded crossbow pointing at him again.

"Oh, you know. Just _peachy_ ," Sam called back.

"Enough!" Luc shouted, the loudest Sam had ever heard him. His cold eyes were wide and wild, his arrogantly handsome face twisted as he scowled angrily at Gabriel. Dean refused to loosen his grip on Sam, still trying to protect his baby brother and Sam understood the reasoning, but he hated being stuck watching this and unable to stop it. "You think you can just take what's mine, what belongs to _me_?" he sneered and Sam tensed, nearly snarling at the implication. Gabriel snarled for him, glaring down at Luc.

"He's not an _object_ , but _you_? You are a great big bag of dicks."

Sam almost laughed, but then Luc smiled and pulled the trigger, arrow zinging through the air and straight into Gabriel's side. "No!" he yelled, struggling in earnest while Gabriel roared in pain, so much like the night the wolf bit into his arm and somehow so much worse. His friend bent forward but never stopped glaring at Luc and he lunged for the man while Luc rushed to reload the bow a second time. Finally breaking free of Dean's hold, Sam threw himself into Luc and pushed him out towards the balcony. The crossbow skidded across the ground as the man lost balance, head bouncing against the stone floor as well.

With Luc down, Sam came to an abrupt stop in front of Gabriel, who had curled a large hand carefully around the arrow’s shaft to stem the bleeding. "Can't take you anywhere," he joked weakly while trying to get a look at the damage. Gabriel chuckled but it morphed into a low, warning growl, eyes locked on something behind Sam. He turned to find Dean picking up the bow, brows crinkled in confusion as he pointed it at Gabriel.

"Dean, put it down," Sam pleaded, holding a hand out toward his brother.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?" Dean demanded gruffly. "I try and find you for _weeks_ and then Luc brings back my bow and the shirt you were wearing the night this asshole took you from me."

"I told you, Dean," Sam started quietly. "Whatever Luc said, it was a _lie_."

"That still doesn't change the fact that this _thing_ ," he glared at Gabriel over Sam's head, "kept you locked here for two months."

"No it doesn't. But he's... Gabriel's changed Dean. He's not what you remember."

"People don't change, Sam."

Sam shook his head. Everything was out of control. Of all the things they'd planned for, his brother being the one to point a weapon at Gabriel hadn't crossed his mind.

"I need you to trust me, Dean. _Please_ ," he begged, taking a step closer to his brother. Dean tensed, but he would never do anything to hurt Sam and that hadn't changed in their time apart. "I promise I'll explain everything, okay? You've just gotta put that down."

The muscle in Dean's jaw twitched but his brother started to lower the bow, eyes intent on Sam. "You bet your ass you're gonna explain - _oof_!"

Taking everyone by surprise, Luc shouldered Dean to the ground, grabbing the crossbow from shock-slack fingers. The man straightened, glaring at Sam as he aimed the weapon right at him. "I gave you plenty of chances, Samuel. You've left me with no choice," he explained, tone reasonable, as though they were simply discussing the weather. Luc's finger pulled back on the trigger but just as the arrow was released, Gabriel - who had remained mercifully silent during his and Dean's exchange - pushed Sam out of the way and lunged at Luc. The larger man's body jolted as the second arrow struck him just as Luc scrambled back, climbing on the balcony's railing in his attempt to escape Gabriel's massive claws. Luc’s feet abruptly skidded on the thin layer of ice on the rail. The man’s arms flailed in an attempt to regain his balance, to no avail. As if in slow motion, Sam watched with wide eyes as Luc tripped backwards over the rail with a yell, cloak billowing around him.

His mind raced, unsure how to process everything that had happened until a pained huff reached his ears. Dean was pushing up onto his feet, eyes as wide as Sam's, but looking relatively uninjured. Gabriel, however, was on the ground, hand still pressed to the first wound. His other hand was ripping the second arrow from where it protruded from his chest. Sam kneeled down beside him, resting a hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "Why the hell would you do that, you moron?" he choked out.

Gabriel smirked up at him, but Sam still saw the pain underneath. "Sound a bit like Crowley there, kiddo," he teased, coughing wetly.

"Two months here will do that to you, I guess," he answered, rubbing his other hand over Gabriel's hand. "You're gonna be okay. You don't get to do that and then _not_ be okay, you hear me?"

"I'm not sorry," Gabriel whispered suddenly, amber eyes focused dimly on Sam.

"What?"

"I'm not sorry I took your deal," he continued, voice still no more than a whisper. Sam squeezed Gabriel's hand lightly. "I'm not sorry either."

Ever-smirking lips twitched into a soft smile before the spark behind his eyes dimmed further and Sam shook his head. " _No_ ," he spit out, shaking Gabriel roughly. Dean stood behind him and put a hand on his shoulder but Sam shrugged it forcefully away and glared down at Gabriel, tears escaping his eyes. This wasn't happening. Not after Sam had finally realized how he felt about him. "You're gonna make me say it aren't you? You never go easy on me, do you?" He huffed a weak, watery chuckle. "Fine. I love you. There, I said it. So you can't leave me you bastard. Don't you dare," he muttered, shoulders trembling against the sobs he tried to hold back.

Suddenly, green sparks of light flashed behind them and Sam turned, wondering hysterically who had activated the magic mirror, eyes widening at the sight that met him. A woman stood just inside the room, glowing rose floating in front of her. Before their eyes, the last shimmering petal fell to the ground at her feet. Sam blinked up at the woman who smiled softly down at him, golden hair falling around her shoulders as she came closer and bent over him and Gabriel.

She touched a delicate hand to Gabriel's shoulder, ignoring Sam's sound of protest, and another to the one Sam held Gabriel's hand in. Eyes glittering unnaturally in the night, she looked at Sam for a long moment before focusing on Gabriel's still form and spoke gently. "I knew he could grow," she said, looking back at Sam. "You helped him become the man he was always meant to be."

"Wha - ?" he began to ask but she shook her head and Sam stopped himself. The hand she had rested upon Gabriel began to glow, so much like the mirror and Sam could only watch in amazement as Gabriel seemed to spark, a radiant glow coming from within, blinding in its intensity until Sam had to squeeze his eyes shut against it. Dean's hand came down on his shoulder again but Sam barely noticed, blinking his eyes open when the light dimmed and the touch on his hand, as well as the body under it, disappeared. Gabriel was no longer lying in front of Sam’s kneeling form and Sam looked around frantically only to find a man - an actual man, with no fur or claws for hands – sitting propped up against the railing of the balcony.

He shuffled closer, ignoring Dean's "What the _hell_ just happened?" in favor of focusing all of his attention on the person just beginning to blink his eyes open. Tentatively, Sam reached a hand out to rest on the man's shoulder and held his breath as painfully familiar amber eyes blinked open. The man smirked, lips stretched naturally and Sam felt his own twitching into an answering smile. "Heya Sammy."

"It's Sam," he choked out, voice thick with tears he no longer needed to shed.

"Whatever you say, kiddo," Gabriel teased, fisting a hand in Sam's shirt and pulling him down until their lips met in their first kiss, his stomach fluttering as he wrapped his arms around Gabriel's shoulders and melted against him.

"I love you," he breathed into soft lips and Gabriel pulled back, cupping Sam's cheek in his hand. His eyes were serious as he whispered back, "I love you, too."

***

The castle was bright like Sam had never seen it, and filled with people, all laughing and smiling and talking to each other. Dean was off to the side chatting with Castiel, whose blue eyes were no less intense now that he was human, standing just shy of Dean's height, with messy dark hair. Crowley and Bela snuck off somewhere together and Sam had no intention or desire to find them during whatever they were getting up to. Nancy was somewhere in the room, flitting back and forth and keeping everybody happy, though there wasn't much that could take the smiles from their faces today.

Sam slipped away from the throng of people, needing to get away if only for a moment. He found himself in the library without consciously deciding where he was headed and let out a breath, a small smile on his face as he looked up at the books. Pushing off the door, he took a step into the room. Sunlight shone through the window and Sam stood in front of it, basking in the warmth and letting it wash over him. His smile stretched into a grin when a hand settled on his hip.

Gabriel stood beside him and pulled him into his side, where he still somehow fit despite the new height difference. Looking down, Sam smirked playfully at his lover. "So..." he started and Gabriel looked up at him, "You failed to mention you used to be... vertically challenged."

The fingers on his hip dug in and he squirmed, nudging the man to stop taking advantage of the knowledge of his ridiculous ticklish spot. "I may not be as tall as you anymore, Gigantor," Sam glared at the new nickname, "But don't forget who wears the pants, Sammy."

Sam rolled his eyes, shaking his head with a scoff and tried to ignore the blush climbing up his neck and coloring his cheeks. "Shut up," he huffed, bumping Gabriel with his hip.

"You love it," Gabriel teased and Sam turned, wrapping his arms around his lover's neck. Bending down until their lips were a breath apart, he whispered, "I love you."

Gabriel smiled, wide and happy as ever as he grabbed the back of Sam's neck and closed the small distance between them. "You too, Sammy. You too."

They pulled apart, foreheads resting together. Eventually they would go out and mingle with their guests. Sam would listen to Dean's teasing every time they kissed and let Nancy fuss over him, and watch Castiel watch everyone else. But for now, the two of them were content to stay in this moment, wrapped around each other for awhile longer. They had time.

END


End file.
